Private-sector payrolls increased 325,000 in December, led by the service-providing sector and small businesses, according to the ADP employment report released Thursday. The November level was revised to 204,000 from a prior estimate of 206,000. Markets look to ADP's report on private-sector payrolls to provide some guidance on the U.S. Labor Department's jobs estimate, which will be released Friday and includes information on both private- and public-sector payrolls. However, analysts have noted seasonal-adjustment issues that have led to past ADP estimates for December substantially missing the government's data. Economists polled...

Eastman Kodak Co. is preparing for a Chapter 11 bankruptcy-protection filing in the coming weeks should efforts to sell a trove of digital patents fall through, people familiar with the matter said. The struggling photography icon, which employs about 19,000 people, is in discussions with potential lenders for around $1 billion in so-called debtor-in possession financing that would keep it afloat during bankruptcy proceedings, the people said. A filing could occur as soon as this month or early February, one of the people said. A Kodak spokesman said the company "does not...

U.S. stocks on Tuesday celebrated the start of a new trading year after a gauge of U.S. manufacturing hit a six-month high, adding to cheer that began with solid data from overseas. “It’s a new year, and you can make the case people came in with a level of enthusiasm, or optimism, that might be guiding investment decisions. Most importantly is the lack of any headlines related to the European situation that is allowing people to focus on the economic data, at least for today,” said Dan Greenhaus, chief global strategist...