That's partly due to the development of the capital markets over the past decade in places like India and Latin America, making it easier for a company to make long-term investments in those areas, says Colleen Harkness, a managing director with GE's Energy Financial Services unit.
That bullish stance stood in stark contrast with the view of Chicago Cardinal Francis George: His spokeswoman, Colleen Dolan, told The Associated Press that the cardinal suggested it could be a long affair.