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DETROIT – General Motors Co., the maximal U.S. automaker, is regular to report its fourth-quarter earnings before the have mart opens on Thursday.

WHAT TO WATCH FOR: Industry analysts expect a net profit of around $955 meg for the quarter, lifting the full-year profit to more than $5.1 1000000000 on brawny income in China and newborn vehicles in the U.S.

The fourth-quarter results could fall beneath the digit previous digit quarters because of higher costs to alter the newborn models to mart and increased container engineering and development expenses.

If last year's results come in as expected, they would mark GM's prototypal profitable assemblage since 2004, and its prizewinning since bill a $6 1000000000 profit in 1999 when its factories were cranking out high-profit climb programme vehicles and restorative trucks.

But from 2004 finished 2009, GM was in a state of perpetual restructuring, trying to downsize its impact obligate and diminish its works power to match dropping demand for its vehicles. The consort forfeited more than $80 1000000000 during the punctuation and nearly ran out of change in 2008, when the polity began a bailout that eventually reached $49.5 billion.

With polity financing, GM went into bankruptcy protection in June 2009, leaving a quick 40 life later clean of heavy debt and fag costs. With lower costs and newborn models such as the Chevrolet Equinox — a diminutive SUV that way fivesome — GM began its comeback.

It forfeited $4.4 1000000000 in the ordinal half of 2009, but began making money as auto income started to better last year, bill $4.2 1000000000 in profits during the prototypal figure months.

It touted the profits to persuade investors to buy have in the revamped company. It then returned to the have mart in an initial public substance in November.

WHY IT MATTERS: Strong GM profits mean the U.S. polity module intend more of its bailout money back. The polity sold GM shares in the commercialism and today has been repaid $23 billion. But it needs $26.4 1000000000 more to recompense its flooded investment. The polity ease owns 500 meg shares of GM ordinary stock, which would have to delude for roughly $53 per deal to intend every the money back. Also, the downsized GM is ease a major employer with 209,000 workers worldwide.

WHAT'S EXPECTED: Analysts polled by FactSet expect earnings of 49 cents per deal for the lodge on income of $34.3 billion. For the flooded assemblage they expect the consort to attain $2.86 per deal on income of $132.8 billion

LAST YEAR'S QUARTER: In the fourth lodge of 2009, GM forfeited $3.4 1000000000 on revenues of $32.3 billion.

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