GENERAL ELECTRIC

Stock index futures rose on Friday, indicating the S&P 500 may snap a 2-day decline, after quarterly results from Microsoft and General Electric Co propelled a solid earnings season.

Futures on major US indices point to a higher opening Friday as investors awaited the earnings from major firms including General Electric Co. and McDonald's.

General Electric Co reported first-quarter profit that topped analysts' expectations, helped by strong sales of jet engines and energy equipment, as well as profit growth at its finance arm.

U.S. stock index futures pointed to a higher open for equities on Wall Street on Friday, with futures for the S&P 500, the Dow Jones and the Nasdaq 100 rising 0.2 to 0.4 percent.

A federal judge on Wednesday dismissed claims against Goldman Sachs Group Inc , JPMorgan Chase & Co and 40 other defendants that they helped mislead investors in General Electric Co's $12.2 billion stock offering in 2008.

General Electric Co. is expected to report slightly weaker first-quarter earnings because of a backlog of low-margin thermal and industrial equipment plus slow health care revenue growth.

A new study from the Sunlight Foundation shows that big corporations have an outsize effect on taxation policy in the United States.

Don't worry, Jack Donaghy will be sticking around till the end.

After suffering their worst two weeks of the year, stocks will look to quarterly earnings to determine whether the recent pullback has been exhausted or more losses are justified.

Here's a look at the five most profitable companies profiled in a recent Citizens for Tax Justice report on corporate taxation and the top five federal political candidates or incumbents to whom each has contributed during the 2011-2012 election cycle.

Earnings season will kick into full gear next week with results due from major players. The stock market had an incredible first quarter with double-digit percentage gains, and the flood of company earnings reports will largely decide which way the market will be going from here.

The federal income tax for 30 companies was negative during the four-year period, even though they brought in a combined $205 billion in gross profit.

Just last year, Andrea Jung was among the most powerful women in the world. On Monday, Avon announced her replacement as chief executive -- Sherilyn McCoy, a 30-year veteran of Johnson & Johnson.

U.S. regulators gave the nod to an imaging test from Eli Lilly and Co. that can for the first time help doctors detect brain plaque tied to Alzheimer's disease, the company said.

Technology investors are about to endure the quarterly torrent of earnings reports, starting Thursday with Google (Nasdaq: GOOG) and escalating next week with other top names.

Two of the most iconic American brands suffered setbacks to their credit ratings on Wednesday, evidence that some of the nation's most visible economic engines could face higher borrowing costs.

Wall Street stocks were looked likely to open lower open on Wednesday, despite good private sector payrolls data, as investors digested minutes from the latest Federal Reserve meeting published Tuesday suggesting further monetary stimulus action is unlikely.

Stock index futures fell on Wednesday after minutes of the Federal Reserve's March meeting released on Tuesday showed policymakers were less inclined to provide more economic stimulus, curbing investors' appetite for risky assets.

Sunday's historic elections in Myanmar and the planned North Korean missile launch dominated the agenda at the annual Association of Southeast Asian Nations, or Asean, summit in Cambodia on Tuesday.

Burmese activist Aung San Suu Kyi and the opposition National League for Democracy declared victory after Sunday's by-elections. Speaking to thousands of supporters from party headquarters in Yangon, the Nobel Peace Prize laureate hailed the success as the beginning of a new era for politics in Burma.

Pentair, Inc. (NYSE: PNR), a diversified industrial company, will merge with Tyco International Ltd.'s (NYSE:TYC) flow control business in a deal expected to generate significant savings through synergies, the companies said in a statement.