(Reuters) - The U.S. jobs recovery gathered pace as a measure of private-sector hiring surged in December and claims for unemployment benefits fell, suggesting the battered labor market may continue to strengthen in 2012. The ADP National Employment Report's December job tally of 325,000 surprised economists who had expected a gain of roughly half that size. It was also above the 204,000 private jobs added in November.

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(Reuters) - Barnes & Noble Inc cut its Nook sales forecast for this year and shocked investors by saying it was considering a sale of the electronic reader and tablet business, sending its shares down more than 20 percent. The bookseller has been banking on the Nook for growth, so news that holiday sales of the basic touchscreen e-reader were disappointing raised investors' fears that Barnes & Noble was struggling to keep up with Amazon.com Inc's Kindle.

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(Reuters) - General Motors Co said on Thursday it has developed a proposed fix to the battery pack for the Chevrolet Volt to eliminate the risk of a fire being triggered days after a crash. GM said it would strengthen structural protection for the 400-pound lithium-ion battery in the Volt and take other steps to prevent coolant fluid from leaking and triggering a fire.

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(Reuters) - Many U.S. store chains had to resort to deep discounts to lure shoppers over the holiday selling season, cutting into profits even as overall December sales came in slightly above expectations. The news showed retailers are still struggling to convince post-recession U.S. shoppers to buy at full price, an ominous sign at the start of 2012.

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(Reuters) - Stocks fell on Wednesday after a sharp rally in the previous session as investors set their sights again on Europe's debt problems. U.S. investors began the new year pushing shares higher, with the broad S&P 500 index rising to its highest level since late October. The first trading day of the year often brings a lot of money into the markets.

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(Reuters) - Yahoo Inc said on Wednesday it has appointed Scott Thompson as its chief executive, effective from January 9, replacing interim CEO Tim Morse who will resume his role as chief financial officer. Thompson, who was previously president of PayPal, a unit of eBay Inc, will also join Yahoo's board.

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(Reuters) - The PIMCO Total Return Fund, the world's largest bond fund, had $1.4 billion in outflows in December, according to fund analytics firm Morningstar. The fund, operated by Bill Gross, co-chief investment officer of Pacific Investment Management Co, suffered total redemptions of $5 billion in 2011, a year in which the fund underperformed benchmarks after betting heavily against U.S. Treasuries, which rallied on the year.

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(Reuters) - Chrysler reported a 37 percent rise in U.S. new-vehicle sales in December as the U.S. automaker finished the year with strong gains thanks to a refreshed lineup of cars and trucks. Chrysler, controlled by Fiat (FIA.MI), reported December U.S. sales of 138,019 new vehicles, compared with 100,702 a year earlier. The results were in line with forecasts by industry research firms Edmunds.com and TrueCar.com.

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(Reuters) - New orders for factory goods rose solidly in November, but business spending on capital is cooling, a government report showed on Wednesday. The Commerce Department said orders for manufactured goods increased 1.8 percent, snapping two consecutive months of declines, as demand for transportation equipment surged. It was the largest rise since July.

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(Reuters) - Wall Street stocks kicked off 2012 with a sharp rally on Tuesday after data showed U.S. manufacturing activity and construction spending picked up, signaling the economic recovery was gaining steam. The report added to early market optimism spurred by data from China and Germany that suggested the global economy was on the right track to improvement.

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