News roundup: Walmart to spend $1B to give nearly 40% of US employees pay raises … Traders are betting Sears will be the next big retailer to fail … Gauge of US economy post slight gain in Jan.

Here’s the plan: Walmart announced this morning plans to spend $1 billion to make changes to how it pays and trains U.S. hourly workers as the embattled retailer tries to reshape the image that its …