Germany's status as workshop of the world makes it uniquely vulnerable to the downturn.

ECONOMIST: The fabled Mittelstand is feeling the pinch more than most

This, reckon some economists, makes America's economy uniquely vulnerable to a recession that could be triggered in the event that share prices fall.

ECONOMIST: Equities

And, just at the moment when many startup are gaining traction is also when they are most vulnerable to losing their way, to forgetting what they are uniquely about as the VCs try to fit them into a revenue model.

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