Dec 1 (Reuters) - The following are the top stories in The Wall Street Journal. Reuters has not verified these stories and does not vouch for their accuracy.

- The average amount Americans spent on some key product categories declined on Thanksgiving and Black Friday, as mobile shopping drove smaller orders and aggressive discounts pushed down prices, according to First Data Corp. (http://on.wsj.com/1NF13AX)

- U.S. regulators cut annual requirements for how much ethanol must be mixed into the nation's fuel supply. But the reductions were smaller than originally proposed, softening the blow to ethanol companies and their Farm Belt supporters. (http://on.wsj.com/1NF14VD)

- Samsung Electronics Co said Tuesday that its mobile chief J K Shin and another co chief executive officer would step back from day-to-day operations, as the South Korean technology giant looks to new leadership to revive its once-booming smartphone business. (http://on.wsj.com/1NF19bT)

- Credit Suisse Group has tapped Johnson Chui as new head of equity capital markets for Asia Pacific as the Swiss bank shakes up its ranks in the region, according to a person familiar with the situation. (http://on.wsj.com/1MSu74z) (Compiled by Parikshit Mishra in Bengaluru)