The word "dichotomy" is a somewhat stuffy member of our vernacular, but it fits here: On the one hand, we're treated to an almost daily drumbeat of negative U.S. economic news. On the other, earnings reports have been almost surprisingly strong for an array of large U.S. companies. That, Mr. Webster would tell you, is a perfect example of a dichotomy.
As last week came to a close, New Jersey-based technology and manufacturing conglomerate Honeywell International
Honeywell, whose revenues are about evenly divided between the U.S. and overseas, managed to gin out sales growth in all its segments -- aerospace, automation and control solutions, specialty materials, and transportation systems. This achievement was particularly impressive, since it occurred in the face of soft demand for some housing-related manufactured goods in the U.S.
Honeywell CEO Dave Cote attributed the company's strong results, including its "double-digit sales, EPS, and free cash flow increases" to "our global reach and diversified portfolio of businesses," which "helped to drive organic sales growth across all regions."
For my money, it's rather impressive that Honeywell easily bested its fellow conglomerate General Electric
Beyond that, Honeywell was joined on Friday by Caterpillar
Beyond that, it clearly appears that Honeywell is capable of gaining momentum even in bleak economic times. It seems that makes it worthy of attention from Fools everywhere.
For related Foolishness: