That uncertainty is a big part of the problem for Europe's economy.

See here:

• Fears of energy supply disruptions have pushed benchmark gas prices up by about 85% since the invasion of Ukraine, according to the Intercontinental Exchange.

• On Wednesday, prices rose 5% to as the deadline for the pipeline's reopening inched closer.

• Like the United States and other developed economies, Europe is dealing with soaring inflation. And political upheaval. And climate change. And a discernible shift in the direction of the economic rebound.

• A European recession isn't a given. But "a sharp downturn in growth is 100% sure," my colleague Julia Horowitz writes.