The European Central Bank is looking at a darkening picture for the economy as infections and deaths surge. With more than a trillion euros of pandemic stimulus still in the pipeline, President Christine Lagarde is expected to underline Thursday that the bank has the means keep credit affordable and support the hoped-for recovery. Spiking virus totals have led Germany, the eurozone’s biggest economy, to extend restrictions on many businesses involving contact with the public until Feb. 14, while Portugal hit a record for new COVID-19 infections and France imposed a 6 p.m. curfew. Vaccination rollouts have been slower than many would like. That is darkening the already gloomy outlook for the first few weeks of 2021, after Europe ended 2020 with fanfare over the start of vaccinations. The winter surge suggests that the first quarter could see economic output fall again after an expected contraction […]