Post-bankruptcy GM posts $4.3bn 2009 loss

General Motors Co has posted a $4.3bn net loss from the time of its emergence from bankruptcy in July through the end of the year and said it believes a profit is possible in 2010

General Motors Co has posted a $4.3bn net loss from the time of its emergence from bankruptcy in July through the end of the year and said it believes a profit is possible in 2010

GM also reported a $3.4bn fourth-quarter net loss and said it is committed to repaying the outstanding balances on its US Treasury and Export Development Canada loans by June “at the latest.”

Completing the “fresh start” accounting process lays the groundwork for GM to launch an initial public offering that would reduce the US government’s majority stake in the automaker. The timing of an offering is unclear.

“Completing fresh-start accounting is an important step in that process,” GM Chief Financial Officer Chris Liddell said in a statement on the possibility of returning to public ownership.

GM said that going public would enable the automaker to invest in vehicle designs and sales, attract the best people and gain access to the capital markets.