GENERAL ELECTRIC

General Electric Co reported a 42 percent drop in profit, as a global economic slump hammered its hefty finance arm and eroded demand for the heavy equipment it manufactures.

Britain's top share index was lower at midday on Friday, led by banks after quarterly earnings numbers from Bank of America Corp (BAC.N) and General Electric (GE.N) disappointed.

Wall Street was set to drop at the open on Friday after disappointing quarterly results from Dow components General Electric Co (GE.N) and Bank of America Corp (BAC.N) dragged stock futures lower.

Wall Street was set to drop at the open on Friday after disappointing quarterly results from Dow components General Electric Co and Bank of America Corp dragged stock futures lower.

GE reported Q3 earnings per share $0.22 on revenue $37.8 billion.

IBM raised its full-year outlook and reported higher-than-expected quarterly profit on Thursday as its growing focus on higher-margin software and services businesses helped it cope with weak technology spending.

The world may have to wait until the dying seconds of a U.N. climate summit in December for a global deal to channel business dollars into low-carbon energy, industry and analysts said on Wednesday.

General Electric Co unveiled two investments in start-up clean technology businesses on Wednesday as part of its strategy of focusing on ways for business to generate and use energy more efficiently.

General Electric Co unveiled two investments in startup clean technology businesses on Wednesday as part of its strategy of focusing on ways for business to generate and use energy more efficiently.

Investors have bid up General Electric Co shares to almost triple their March lows but the largest U.S. conglomerate will have to deliver solid quarterly results for them to rise much further.

Asian stocks rose to a 14-month high and the U.S. dollar steadied on Tuesday, with some investors taking bets that third-quarter U.S. corporate earnings, expected to shrink for the ninth quarter, will be good enough to keep a rally going.

Vivendi may throw in the towel on its attempt to buy Brazilian telecom company GVT after being trumped by a 2.6 billion euro ($3.8 billion) counterbid from Spain's Telefonica.

Vivendi (VIV.PA) is likely to sell its 20 percent stake in media company NBC Universal (NBCU) and may discuss the matter at a board meeting on Oct. 14, a source close to the situation told Reuters on Wednesday.

The Walt Disney Co and Universal studios unveiled changes at the top on Monday, as Hollywood's worst-performing major houses try to turn things around in a potentially record year at the box office.

NBC Universal CEO Jeff Zucker could be about to get a new boss -- and asked to explain a three-year run when his company expanded its cable business and won acclaim for its Olympic broadcasts, but failed to score a single breakout prime-time TV hit.

General Electric Co and Comcast Corp, working on a deal to spin off GE's NBC Universal, have valued it at $30 billion, including $9 billion of debt, a source close to the talks told Reuters on Friday.

Apple and Eminem's music publisher, Eight Mile Style LLC, reached a settlement agreement on Thursday, putting an end to a lawsuit alleging that Apple was never authorized to digitally sell 93 of Eminem's songs on iTunes.

General Electric Co is holding discussions on partnerships or an IPO for its NBC Universal unit, Chief Executive Jeffrey Immelt said, as expectations grow about a deal with cable operator Comcast Corp .

Toyota's Dollar Difficulties; IPO for NBC Universal?; Restructurings Ahead

General Electric Co is holding discussions on partnerships or an IPO for its NBC Universal unit, Chief Executive Jeffrey Immelt said, amid expectations about a deal with cable operator Comcast Corp .

A deal between Comcast Corp and General Electric Co for NBC Universal would seem a storybook match -- one wants in to the media business and the other may be well-served to get out.