(Reuters) - The danger of an uneven economic recovery in Europe has fallen despite concerns about the patchy nature of the upturn, European Central Bank Governing Council member Ewald Nowotny said on Monday. "One cannot exclude the possibility of a slowdown in recovery, but I think that the risks of an L-shaped or W-shaped development have clearly decreased," he said told a conference organized by the central bank. "I think we are now clearly on a sustainable path."

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(Reuters) - U.S. stocks were little changed on Thursday as signs of recovery in the jobs market were offset by weak data on housing and regional business conditions. In their public trading debut, shares of LinkedIn Corp (LNKD.N) opened more than 80 percent above their IPO price in a jump reminiscent of the heyday of investors' love affair with Internet stocks.

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(Reuters) - The number of Americans filing new claims for jobless benefits fell last week, but other data on home sales and regional factory activity suggested the economy remained on a moderate growth path. Initial claims for state unemployment benefits fell 29,000 to a seasonally adjusted 409,000, the Labor Department said on Thursday, continuing to unwind the prior weeks' spike.

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(Reuters) - Shares of LinkedIn Corp surged nearly 90 percent in their public trading debut on Thursday, a jump reminiscent of the heyday of investors' love affair with Internet stocks in the late 1990s. The shares rose to $85.18 in morning trading on the New York Stock Exchange, 89.3 percent above their $45 initial public offering price. That pushes the market value of the company to about $8 billion.

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(Reuters) - Commodities trader Glencore (GLEN.L) made a steady market debut on Thursday, with shares trading just above the widely expected launch price of 530 pence, giving it solid currency for potential acquisitions. Initial grey market, or conditional, trade showed the shares changing hands at more than three percent above the offer price, indicating appetite for the stock. Many investors were left out after Glencore was flooded with orders for its shares.

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(Reuters) - The main option under consideration for Greece now is a voluntary deal by investors to maintain their Greek bond holdings over the period of another EU/IMF program from 2011 to 2014, euro zone sources said. "Since Monday that is the main option under consideration," one source with insight into the discussions on Greek debt said, referring to the Monday meeting of euro zone finance ministers.

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(Reuters) - Euro zone governments are considering a plan to prevent a Greek default under which private investors would be asked to maintain their exposure to its debt and Athens would receive a new package of EU/IMF aid, euro zone sources said. The sources told Reuters of the new strategy on Thursday after the European Central Bank raised the stakes in its bid to prevent a restructuring of Greek debt by telling governments it would refuse to accept the bonds as collateral in the event of such a move.

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(Reuters) - May auto sales are off to a "dismal start" as high gasoline prices, lower sales incentives and thinner inventories are curbing consumer purchases, J.D. Power and Associates said on Thursday. The lower inventories due to the aftermath of the Japan earthquake and auto parts supplier problems have meant some vehicles are not readily available. This in turn has allowed dealers and automakers to further cut incentive spending, which results in higher outright vehicle prices.

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(Reuters) - BlackRock Inc (BLK.N) said it was buying back all of its shares owned by Bank of America Corp (BAC.N), ending a long-term ownership relationship that helped BlackRock grow into one of the world's biggest asset managers. BlackRock will pay $187.65 per share, or $2.54 billion, for the 13.6 million Series B convertible preferred shares owned by Bank of America. The deal comes just six months after the bank announced it would slash its ownership in the asset manager by selling a large portion of its BlackRock stake.

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(Reuters) - Intel Corp (INTC.O) could suffer due to slowing processor shipments, rising competition and record capital expenditure levels this year, according to analysts at Goldman Sachs, who in a rare downgrade cut their rating on the stock to "sell" from "neutral." Shares of the world's largest chipmaker -- which have gained about a fifth since the company's record quarterly earnings on April 19 -- fell 2 percent in pre-market trade on Thursday. They had closed at $23.88 on Wednesday on Nasdaq.

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