Summit Notebook

OK, that headline might be a little bit misleading for a posting about the difficulty of predicting raw materials prices, but it catches the eye.

Fritz Henderson, chief operating officer of General Motors Co, told the Reuters Autos Summit this week about how the wild price swings in critical raw materials make it especially difficult to predict profitability and margins.

The fluctuating raw materials are just one struggle facing the U.S. automakers including the difficult credit situation, rising unemployment and a housing market that is collapsing across the country.

Other than that, though, everything’s fine.

Henderson was one of the featured guests at this year’s summit, which continues through Thursday in Detroit. Up next — the first Reuters Restructuring Summit on Sept. 22-26 — an appropriate topic considering the last few weeks on Wall Street.