Stronger Every Day

General Electric Co. last month posted its third straight quarter of profit growth, beating analysts’ estimates, driven by a rebound in its finance unit, health-care and transportation divisions.

“The environment continues to improve,” Jeffrey Immelt, GE’s chief executive officer, said on a Jan. 21 conference call. “The economy can get a little bit stronger every day.”

Caterpillar, the world’s largest maker of construction equipment, posted fourth-quarter profit that topped analysts’ estimates as sales advanced in China, Australia and Latin America.

The Peoria, Illinois-based company last week said sales climbed 62 percent to $12.8 billion from the year-ago quarter. The company said 2011 sales will exceed $50 billion, compared with $42.59 billion in 2010.