Which were hit hard by the financial crisis
Weakness in the eurozone's major economies, such as Germany and France, risks choking off the growth emerging in countries that were at the forefront of the region's debt crisis, a closely monitored survey indicated Tuesday.
In its monthly survey of business activity, financial information company Markit said the eurozone ended 2014 on a tepid note despite "signs of life" in countries like Ireland and Spain, which were hit hard by the financial crisis.
That's another potential headache for policymakers across the region. As well as fears that the eurozone will soon suffer a bout of deflation, or falling prices, which can choke the recovery further, there are renewed concerns over Greece's future in the eurozone. In concert, they've renewed pressure on the euro and exacerbated the fall in oil prices.
Many of the problems confronting the eurozone would be helped by economic growth but survey after survey shows that prospect remains distant.
Markit's so-called purchasing managers' index - a gauge of business activity across manufacturing and services - reinforced that picture. Its main index rose to 51.4 points in December from 51.1 the previous month. However, that was down from a preliminary estimate for December of 51.7, with figures above 50 indicating expansion.
Overall, Markit suggests that the rate of economic expansion during the fourth quarter was the weakest since the third quarter of 2013.
Markit estimates that the eurozone, which now numbers 19 countries following Lithuania's adoption of the euro at the start of January, grew by a quarterly rate of 0.1 percent in the last three months of the year, continuing the trend of minimal growth since the recession ended in mid-2013.