GENERAL ELECTRIC

Vivendi appears likely to sell its 20 percent stake in General Electric's NBC Universal this year, paving the way for a possible initial public offering of the studio in 2010, sources told the New York Times on Friday.

General Electric Co, the largest U.S. conglomerate, will prioritise Asia and resource rich countries like Russia, GE's Chief Executive Officer Jeffrey Immelt said on Friday.

Electric Co's deal to provide the parent of No. 2 U.S. carrier American Airlines with $1.88 billion of financing and also to sell engines for up to 100 new jets is its largest aviation finance deal in about a decade, a GE executive said on Thursday.

American Airlines parent AMR Corp said on Thursday that it had bolstered its liquidity and planned to take steps that include buying new planes in a bid to return to profitability.

General Electric Co shares crossed into positive territory for 2009 on Wednesday, in their third day of steady gains, helped by recent brokerage upgrades and easing investor concern about its finance arm.

French media and telecoms giant Vivendi said on Wednesday it hasn't made a decision whether to exercise its right to sell a 20 percent stake in broadcaster NBC Universal.

Kuwait has signed a $2.65 billion contract with General Electric Co and Hyundai Heavy Industries to build and operate a power plant in the north of the country, General Electric said.

Asia-focused brokerage CLSA said General Electric and Brazilian miner Vale SA and several other companies have inquired about listing in

A year after the collapse of investment bank Lehman Brothers , frozen credit markets are piecing themselves together again but the face of borrowing is dramatically different.

U.S. stocks closed higher for a fourth straight day on Wednesday, sending the Standard & Poor's 500 index to its best finish so far this year as industrial and technology companies gained from a weak dollar.

General Electric Co expects conditions in most of its core markets to remain challenging for the next 12 to 18 months, a top executive of the largest U.S. conglomerate said on Tuesday.

Global rules on trade and investment in energy and energy services are needed urgently ahead of negotiations on a convention on climate change in Copenhagen this year, an industry body said on Tuesday.

Europe's largest entertainment group Vivendi delivered forecast-beating second quarter underlying profit, despite the global economic crisis, and said it had ditched a deal with Kuwaiti telecoms firm Zain.

Bid to Fight Investor Flight; Apple's Tablet Not in Sight; GE Seeks Security Unit Buyer

Southern California Edison said on Wednesday it is seeking a U.S. grant to store wind power in the largest-ever grid storage battery, to be built by A123 Systems.

General Electric has put its security business up for sale in an auction that could fetch about $2 billion, sources familiar with the situation said on Wednesday.

Diversified U.S. manufacturer SPX Corp and Indian engineering firm Thermax Ltd will jointly make air pollution control systems in India, in a venture that could bring in annual revenues of up to $100 million in five to 10 years.

Shares in British oil services group Wellstream (WSML) fell sharply after it said its second half will be worse than expected, as funding constraints and oil price volatility force producers to delay contracts.

General Electric's security business on Thursday announced the first order for a new portable device for air cargo facility checkpoint security which detects traces of narcotics and explosives.

After a four year government investigation, General Electric Co. will pay a $50 million fine over its alleged misuse of hedge fund accounting which in one case, regulators said allowed GE to avoid missing analysts' earnings expectations.

General Electric Co will pay a $50 million civil penalty to settle charges by the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission that it misled investors with some fraudulent accounting in 2002 and 2003.