Caterpillar reports earnings today, and few expect the company to show much strength. The heavy equipment maker has been doing well, but that looks to change.

There's news this morning that folks who do the ordering at factories are increasingly wary. The Markit U.S. Purchasing Managers Index was a disappointment, its worst showing since late 2010.

Exports have been one of the few bright spots in the U.S. recovery, but they're slowing down.

In Mexico, Enrique Peña Nieto of Institutional Revolutionary Party has taken the presidency. He inherits an economy that's on the upswing, and Americans may soon be buying a lot more "Made in Mexico" goods.

A report says more than half of American companies are having trouble finding enough skilled workers to hire. Why don’t employers train workers instead?

Figures coming out of China are showing a slowdown in manufacturing signalling that Western consumers are buying less.

Figures out today show Chinese manufacturing fell for the seventh month in a row. Countries like Australia and South Africa could suffer more than the U.S.

America added 3.1 percent more jobs in manufacturing over the last two years, with the Midwest leading the way.

The nation's factories and plants have been churning out jobs pretty steadily since the recession ended. And this morning, we'll find out if that manufacturing rebound is still happening. Specifically, we're about to find out about regional manufacturing activity around Chicago and Dallas.

Marketplace’s China correspondent travels where few have gone before and visits the production line.