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Empresas y finanzas

Caterpillar lifts Dow; Nasdaq and S&P 500 flat


    NEW YORK (Reuters) - The Nasdaq briefly turned positive on Tuesday to trade near break-even, along with the S&P 500 index, as optimism about the latest corporate earning results tempered a cautious economic assessment from U.S. Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke.

    The Dow was underpinned by U.S. machinery maker CATERPILLAR (CAT.NY)Inc , which posted a stronger-than-expected quarterly profit.

    After the benchmark S&P 500 hit a fresh 2009 intraday high of 956.53 shortly after the open, some investors opted to book profits, fueling some choppiness.

    The Dow Jones industrial average gained 50.49 points, or 0.57 percent, to 8,898.64. The Standard & Poor's 500 Index rose 0.38 points, or 0.04 percent, to 951.51. The Nasdaq Composite Index dipped 5.75 points, or 0.30 percent, to 1,903.54.

    (Reporting by Ellis Mnyandu; Editing by Padraic Cassidy)