Caterpillar profit misses as trade strains start to bite

Caterpillar had the biggest quarterly profit miss in a decade as a China slowdown hit demand for its signature yellow construction and mining equipment.

The Deerfield, Illinois-based company also issued a 2019 profit forecast range which, at the low end, was below the average of analysts’ expectations, adding to worries over mounting trade tensions that pummeled the heavy-equipment maker’s shares last year.