I had no idea that this was going to be hell week for General Electric when I decided to write about it. What spurred my column this week was the company’s decision to cut its dividend last Friday by 66 percent. But hell week it certainly was. Two analysts at a small firm came out with a brutal report essentially predicting the kind of downward spiral that has so badly damaged other big firms, like Citi and Bank of America. Other bears circled. Credit default spreads widened. The stock sank. The chief financial officer went on CNBC to defend the company. And on and on it went, a dance we’ve seen again and again — usually with bad results.

I wish I could tell you with some certainly whether General Electric is really in trouble or not. For the sake of the country, I certainly hope it isn’t. A General Electric bailout would be a devastating blow to a country that is already reeling. I can’t think of anything that would be more corrosive to our already low confidence, and it would serve as a huge setback for the economic recovery we’re all praying for. But the truth is, nobody knows for sure whether G.E. is in trouble — not even the bears who are shouting it from the rafters. G.E.’s numbers are the proverbial enigma wrapped inside a riddle. If it wants to end the storm swirling around it, the company is going to have to offer a detailed disclosure of the portfolio of assets carried on the books of G.E. Capital. As it happens, that is precisely what the company says it will do the week of March 16.

Put that date on your calendar. That’s when we’ll know whether we can breathe easily — or not.