California Home Loan 360

Satellite television company DirecTV Group Inc. said Wednesday that its first-quarter earnings rose 10.4% after it acquired a surprising number of new U.S. subscribers despite a housing meltdown.

General Electric announces that first-quarter earnings fell an unexpected 6%. The company's stock price takes a beating, and the Dow falls 2%. A rare profit drop by General Electric Co. drove the stock market down sharply today as investors were shocked that one of corporate America's most reliable earners had been tripped up by the economy and the credit crunch.

The third-quarter earnings season begins in earnest this week, with investors hoping to learn how bad the damage was from the summer's credit crunch and what to expect in the coming quarters.