Jester,

I've followed CAT closely for the last several years, as I own a small chunk of it (very bad decision, must've been in a seconal stupor at the time). And you're exactly right - the business has been dismal and declining for years. I also take it as one indication of the underlying economic realities, since what they do is essential to the basic materials of economies, which, along with commodities, has been a terrible place to be for some time now. I have kept wondering whether the divergence beween indicators like CAT's sales and the ever-upward path of other sectors meant that there was a basic underlying reality being ignored, or whether there is some other way to explain that divergence that makes sense. I'd have to vote for the former, but I've been pessimistic about the market for years, and so far, have been wrong on that. 

Interesting to me also is, immediately after the article you cited on Business Insider, was an interview with Paul Krugman, not sure if you caught it. He's saying the market is wrong, Yellen is right, and don't pull the trigger on raising interest rates until you see real inflation starting to take hold. He's always been crowing that his call on printing money with no backing is the absolute best thing to do. I still wonder how, when, and if the consequences of QE infinite (or indefinite)  will be felt.