Caterpillar, a bellwether for the global economy,   beat on both the top and bottom line for all the right reasons (increase in sales and revenues) with their earnings release this morning.  The stock is up over 5 percent at 11 AM eastern.   Revenues were up 9.6 percent y/y with decent growth in all geographical regions — x/ Middle East (flat) — especially China.

Money excerpts from the release: