U.S. stocks recovered off their opening lows but continue to trade defensively as another sell-off in shares of General Electric ( GE ) coupled with accelerating inflation and heavy losses in the energy sector sour Wall Street's appetite for risk. Stock futures were lower as a result of bearish Chinese retail sales and factory data, Venezuela's default, and Wall Street's reaction to GE's Investor Day presentation on Monday in which the conglomerate outlined its underwhelming turnaround plan. GE shares continued to unravel, touching a two-year low and taking the industrial sector down in sympathy.