caterpillar inc

Caterpillar Inc. expects record sales this year as booming demand for construction and mining equipment in China and other emerging economies offsets weakness in its home U.S. market, its chairman said Thursday.

StreetInsider.com Notable Mergers and Acquisitions of the Day:

• Caterpillar Inc. (NYSE: CAT), has reached an agreement to acquire all of the capital stock of MGE Equipamentos & Servicos Ferroviarios Ltda.
  
  MGE will become part of Caterpillar's Progress Rail Services Division. Terms of the deal were not disclosed.
• Memry Corporation (AMEX: MRY) and SAES Getters S.p.A., Italian Group, today announced that they have agreed on a merger plan, which has been unanimously approved by the boards of directors of both companies.

- Heavy equipment maker Caterpillar says demand for its global mining and energy products pushed its first-quarter earnings up 13 per cent.

Peoria, Ill.-based Caterpillar Inc. said Friday it earned US$922 million, or $1.45 per share, in the January-March period compared with $816 million, or $1.23 per share, in the year-ago quarter.

Revenue rose 18 per cent to $11.8 billion from $10.02 billion a year earlier.

"Without a doubt, it is a global industry"

Construction-equipment maker and economic bellwether Caterpillar Inc. said Friday that it expects resilient overseas economies to drive strong sales and profit growth this year, even as the United States teeters toward recession.

The company said its fourth-quarter earnings rose 11 percent on strong international sales, helped along by a weak U.S. dollar that makes American products more affordable.