10 Wild (and Occasionally Mild) Business Predictions for 2012

Yesterday, we asked you to help us come up with ten outrageous predictions about 2012. Why outrageous, as opposed to, say, responsible? Well, the thing about predictions is that they don't come true very often. Thinking responsibly isn't terribly rewarding. So when predicting the future, you might as well live on the wild side.

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These business predictions are a little more off-the-wall and specific than we've done in past years. Everybody knows that Europe is going to hell in a hand-basket. But what if the euro crisis disappoints with its drama next year? It's pretty clear that it will take a few shocking events to keep Mitt Romney from ultimately winning the GOP nomination. But how does the public policy debate change if Rick Perry steals Iowa and snatches the nod from his fellow governor? Understanding that most predictions about the future turn out to be terribly wrong, we chose to go out in style. Here are 10 predictions about the business world in 2012