The Rising Influence of Rising Affluence

[DewDiligence]

CAT -3.6% on weak retail sales in April:

http://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/18230/000001823014000190/april2014_retailstatistics.htm

CAT reports this information each month, giving YoY results for the prior three months on a rolling basis.

The bearish report caught investors off-guard insofar as CAT reported strong 1Q14 results on 4/24/14 and raised 2014 non-GAAP EPS guidance to $6.10 (from $5.81).

As a bellwether industrial, CAT was part of the reason for the weak broad market today.