With less than two hours to go before the market bell, Caterpillar (CAT) is off by 1.2% to $95.47. Volume is above average. How should investors look upon a dip in the stock? Does weakness offer an opportunity?

According to Briefing.com, net income for the fourth quarter came in at $1.47 per share. This was much better than the projection of $1.27 per share. In addition, the forecast for the new fiscal year is higher than what Wall Street was expecting. One negative note: there isn't any plan for share repurchases because of acquisition activities.

Monday was a good day for Caterpillar (CAT). The maker of agricultural equipment closed up nearly 1.9% to $91.63. That might not sound like the biggest gain ever, but here's some context: During the intraday session, the stock hit a new 52-week high of $92.37. Not bad.

Of course, we all know about the significant headline catalyst: China didn't raise interest rates. That sent stocks higher. How should investors view an equity like Caterpillar in light of all the excitement?

Shares of agricultural equipment maker Deere & Co. (NYSE: DE) have been plunging in early trading more than 6% despite posting a rise for its second-quarter profit, as its earnings per share were a bit shy of analysts' estimates. In addition, the company warned about further higher costs threats.

For the quarter, the world's largest manufacturer of agricultural machinery reported that its profit surged 22% to $763.5 million, lifted by soaring crop prices that increased international demand for agricultural equipment. The company posted earnings of $1.74 a share, slightly missing analysts' predictions for earnings of $1.75 per share in the quarter.

The agricultural equipment maker also announced a respectable 18% jump in revenues to $8.1 billion. Revenue during the period was helped by a 47% increase in overseas sales that benefited from the weak U.S. dollar. Analysts had forecast a lower revenue of $7.6 billion, according to Reuters Estimates.