Late on Wednesday afternoon, several media outlets reported that GE had provided a new financial outlook for 2009. This is not accurate. The stories ran following a discussion at IESE Business School in Madrid, Spain, at which GE Chairman & CEO Jeff Immelt answered questions from the audience. One question was how will the company perform if there is a continued decline in world economic markets. Immelt detailed how he has directed GE leaders to look for ways to maximize profits if the tough environment persists in 2009. Early media reports took the quote out of context. GE clarified these remarks, and the media outlets are correcting their stories.

Reuters: Dow Jones to issue “clarification” on GE story-source

CNBC: GE Market Rumors, Not True!