U.S. stocks were little changed on Tuesday even as oil prices fell anew and Caterpillar Inc., a Dow component, rose on its proposed acquisition of a Chinese construction equipment maker. Traders said the market paused as investors were cautious about the economy and the results of holiday shopping, which so far has been marked by disappointing sales. Caterpillar, the world's largest maker of earth-moving equipment, said it has agreed to buy Shandong SEM Machinery Co. Ltd. Caterpillar's shares rose 2 percent to $92.40. In news of another likely large linkup, health-care and consumer products maker Johnson & Johnson is in negotiations to acquire medical-device maker Guidant Corp., sources familiar with the situation said. Shares of Guidant jumped nearly 6 percent to $72.65 while J&J shares fell 76 cents, or 1.2 percent, to $61.08. The Dow Jones industrial average fell 9.24 points, or 0.09 percent, at 10,537.82. The Standard & Poor's 500 Index was down 2.03 points, or 0.17 percent, at 1,188.22. The technology-laced Nasdaq Composite Index was off 2.33 points, or 0.11 percent, at 2,148.92. --More 2303 Local Time 2003 GMT
