Today's Headliners: GE, Apple

Investors preparing for Friday, Oct. 12, will have a slow earnings flow, as the first week of earnings season ends with General Electric (GE Quote), whose quarterly report was released before the opening bell.

Analysts surveyed by Thomson Financial are looking for a profit of 50 cents a share and revenue of $42.4 billion for the September quarter.

Throughout the morning, several pieces of economic data will be out for investors to consider, including retail sales from the government, business inventories, the University of Michigan's preliminary consumer sentiment index and the producer price index, a measure of wholesale-level inflation. ...