Less than a month after stopping the massive bond-buying programme that helped rescue the eurozone from disaster, the European Central Bank has indicated it might have to keep its monetary policies loose enough to help the region's economy out of a new slump.

Warning against the heightened risks threatening the eurozone’s recovery, ECB president Mario Draghi on Thursday reiterated assurances that the central bank stood ready to intervene if the current economic slowdown proved worse than expected.