Investors have been weathering a period of persistent uncertainty over the pace of economic growth and the problems in the euro zone.
"In the light of the persistent uncertainty, a downward revision has been unavoidable," said the EU's monetary affairs commissioner, Pierre Moscovici.
"In light of the persistent uncertainty, a downward revision [for Greece] has been unavoidable," Mr Moscovici said.
And of course I've never bought into the "wait until there's proof" approach to human-driven climate change, which — as I've stressed since 2007 — is more a challenge of risk management amid substantial and persistent uncertainty than a problem resolved by amassing scientific proof.
As a result, there has been persistent uncertainty about the efficacy of EPO as a treatment for cancer-related anemia, despite the introduction of EPO in a clinical practice almost a decade ago.
Deep-seated, persistent uncertainty is a pernicious feature of climate change.
Complacency is not an ethical response to the persistent uncertainty clouding forecasts of harmful impacts from the continuing buildup of human-generated greenhouse gases in the atmosphere.
This is the state of hurricane science in the new century: a mix of growing skill and persistent uncertainty, of intuition and algorithms, satellites and erasers.
Families left with no identifiable causal gene, despite a suggestive family history, may struggle with persistent uncertainty.
Despite persistent uncertainty in global markets, corporate giving has rebounded from a low point in 2009.
