Trim gains after General Electric issues profit warning LONDON (MarketWatch) - U.S. stock futures advanced on Tuesday, a day after the fourth-sharpest point decline in the Dow Jones Industrial Average since the key index was created in 1896. Gains were trimmed slightly, however, after General Electric warned that it expects fourth-quarter earnings of 50 to 52 cents a share, at the low end of its previously announced range of 50 to 56 cents. GE also said it expects to book restructuring charges of $1 billion to $1.4 billion as it reviews losses in the current credit environment. S&P 500 futures rose 15 points to 830.80 and Nasdaq 100 futures rose 16.75 points to 1,111.25. Dow industrial futures added 134 points to 8,273. U.S. stocks regurgitated much of the prior week's advance on Monday, with the Dow industrials tumbling 679 points, the S&P 500 losing 80 points and the Nasdaq Composite falling 137 points. On a day when the U.S. was officially declared to be in recession, several manufacturing gauges around the world pointed to a sharp contraction in demand. Investors hunting for safe investments drove yields on 10-year Treasury bonds to as low as 2.645%. Tuesday is due to be an important day for the automakers, with monthly sales due for release as the Big Three are due to submit business plans to Congress to get billions of dollars in government aid. The plans might be released after the close of trade. J.D. Power & Associates expects November sales declines of between 20% and more than 40% for the major automakers. General Motors shares rose 13% in pre-market trade. Ford Motor Co. added 11%. Elsewhere, Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson is due to speak on U.S. and China relations at a time of a falling yuan and Philly Fed President Charles Plosser is speaking on the economic outlook. Goldman Sachs may be in the spotlight after The Wall Street Journal said its fourth-quarter loss could be as much as $5 a share, five times the current analyst consensus. Palm shares tumbled 18% in pre-market trade after the Treo handheld device maker said it expects sales to fall and said it would cut jobs. Sears Holdings reported a widening loss as sales dropped 9%, though the company did announce a $500 million stock buyback. Another retailer, Staples , reported a 43% profit drop. Beazer Homes USA said its fourth-quarter loss widened to $474 million from $155 million as the builder reported a 35% drop in revenue. Crude oil futures fell erased earlier losses to gain 63 cents to $49.91 a barrel while the dollar edged up 0.5% to 93.39 yen. The FTSE 100 was 0.6% higher in London while the Nikkei 225 dropped 6.4% in Tokyo.

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