General Electric reported better-than-expected quarterly profits Tuesday behind improved performance in most industrial divisions, including aviation and oil and gas. Shares rose after the industrial conglomerate, which has struggled the last two years or so, reported first-quarter profits of $3.5 billion, compared with a loss of $1.2 billion in the year-ago period. Earnings rose in aviation, oil and gas and healthcare, offsetting a loss in renewable energy and much lower earnings in power, an albatross for GE in recent years.
