NEW YORK — Disappointing first-quarter earnings from General Electric Co (GE.N: Quote, Profile, Research) and a drop in U.S. consumer confidence to its lowest in more than a quarter century in early April provided the latest signs the U.S. economy may be in a recession. General Electric, the second-largest U.S. company by market capitalization, on Friday posted an unexpected 6 percent drop in first-quarter profit. Profit at its financial services arm, which accounted for more than a third of GE’s total revenue in the quarter, fell about 20 percent — the biggest shock yet to American industry from the credit crisis. Weakness in health care and industrial divisions also weighed on results. ‘It’s confirmation that we’re in a recession,’ Jerome Heppelmann, portfolio manager at Liberty Ridge Capital in Berwyn, Pennsylvania, said of GE’s results. The news sent GE shares down more than 11 percent on the New York Stock Exchange, the sharpest drop in two decades, and dragged down global markets. Meanwhile, a survey released on Friday showed U.S. consumer confidence dived deeper into recessionary territory on heightened worries over inflation and jobs. The Reuters/University of Michigan Surveys of Consumers said its preliminary index […]