Earnings Roundup: GE, Citigroup

Among the earnings stories for Friday, April 17, from AP Financial News:

Top stories:

WASHINGTON (AP) — General Electric Co. said Friday its first-quarter earnings fell 36 percent on sharply lower profits at its troubled finance arm, but the results beat Wall Street forecasts in a glimmer of good news for the struggling company.

NEW YORK (AP) — Citigroup's problems are far from over, but Friday it reported its smallest quarterly loss since 2007.

Other stories:

NEW YORK (AP) — Mattel Inc., the largest U.S. toymaker, says weak sales overseas and cautious retailer orders led to a wider first-quarter loss that just missed analyst expectations.

NEW YORK (AP) — Newspaper publisher and TV station owner Media General is reporting a wider first-quarter loss on a deepening slide in advertising revenue.

MILWAUKEE (AP) — A.O. Smith Corp., which makes water heating equipment and electric motors, said Friday its first-quarter profit dropped 60 percent due to a big drop in demand for its products.

SAN CLEMENTE, Calif. (AP) — Medical device maker ICU Medical Inc. said late Thursday the global economic slump had little effect on its business in the first quarter, as its profit more than doubled.