Sign up for our daily briefing
Make your busy days simpler with Axios AM/PM. Catch up on what's new and why it matters in just 5 minutes.
Stay on top of the latest market trends
Subscribe to Axios Markets for the latest market trends and economic insights. Sign up for free.
Sports news worthy of your time
Binge on the stats and stories that drive the sports world with Axios Sports. Sign up for free.
Tech news worthy of your time
Get our smart take on technology from the Valley and D.C. with Axios Login. Sign up for free.
Get the inside stories
Get an insider's guide to the new White House with Axios Sneak Peek. Sign up for free.
Catch up on coronavirus stories and special reports, curated by Mike Allen everyday
Catch up on coronavirus stories and special reports, curated by Mike Allen everyday
Want a daily digest of the top Denver news?
Get a daily digest of the most important stories affecting your hometown with Axios Denver
Want a daily digest of the top Des Moines news?
Get a daily digest of the most important stories affecting your hometown with Axios Des Moines
Want a daily digest of the top Twin Cities news?
Get a daily digest of the most important stories affecting your hometown with Axios Twin Cities
Want a daily digest of the top Tampa Bay news?
Get a daily digest of the most important stories affecting your hometown with Axios Tampa Bay
Want a daily digest of the top Charlotte news?
Get a daily digest of the most important stories affecting your hometown with Axios Charlotte
Photo: Smith Collection/Gado/Getty Images
GE CEO John Flannery said today the giant conglomerate was thinking of breaking itself up into separate units, the Wall Street Journal reports. Flannery said a decision could come this spring on the "best structure or structures for our businesses."
Why this matters: A breakup of the remaining operations would be "a shift from decades of deals that once made it the most valuable company in the U.S.," the WSJ wrote, and the paper's financial editor called it "an end of a long and glorious era of American industrial might."
General Electric this morning also said that it will book a $6.2 billion after-tax charge in its Q4 results, based on worse-than-expected problems related to GE Capital's insurance portfolio. GE Capital also will pay $15 billion over seven years to fill an insurance reserves shortfall. Its dividends to the parent company will remain suspended indefinitely.
- All of this is sure to become more grist for the reported feud between former GE chief executives Jack Welch and Jeff Immelt.