NEW YORK, Dec 10 (Reuters) - The U.S. commercial paper market shrank for the fifth time in six weeks, hinting that the market’s recent expansion is stalling amid a muted economic recovery, Federal Reserve data showed on Thursday.

For the week ended Dec. 9, the size of the U.S. commercial paper market, a vital source of short-term funding for companies’ daily operations, fell by $26.2 billion to $1.210 trillion outstanding from $1.236 trillion the previous week. (Reporting by John Parry; Editing by James Dalgleish)