GE's standalone oil-services business has been a dead weight on GE's corporate results (#msg-125978623), so the logical response is to double down and take out redundant costs... right?
A problem for GE during the first quarter continued to be its oil-and-gas business as revenue fell 9% and segment profit fell 33%. Mr. Immelt said he is “encouraged” by a 9% order increase in the segment.
…The division, which makes equipment for petroleum exploration and production, has weighed on GE during the more-than-two-year slump in crude prices as customer cut spending. Plans to combine the business with Baker Hughes into a new majority-owned public company remain on track for mid-year.