THE eurozone’s struggle to avoid another recession will take center stage in the coming week in the absence of major U.S. data, as investors mull whether the ECB’s new asset-buying plan is a prelude to even more radical steps.

    While data from China may give clarity on a pattern of uneven growth here, it is in Europe that the prospects for the economy are most uncertain.

    The eurozone’s fragile economic recovery came to a halt in the second quarter, in marked contrast to the United States, where the economy grew robustly. Like many of its neighbors struggling to rebound from the debt crisis, Italy slipped into recession for the third time since 2008.

    EU finance ministers and European Central Bank (ECB) President Mario Draghi convene Friday in Milan, where the ECB’s latest move to help the economy and avoid deflation will be at the forefront of discussions.

    The ECB stunned markets last week by cutting interest rates and announcing a plan to buy asset-backed securities from October, which Barclays described “as a clear first step into quantitative easing” — a U.S.-style bond-buying program that could help the economy but divides the central bank.(SD-Agencies)