Caterpillar Inc. announced sales results for the month of December 2016. Global sales dropped 12% from a year earlier last month, better than November's decline of 17%, it said. In the Asia-Pacific region sales rose 19% after adding 11% in November. Sales in North America declined 14% last month, compared with a 19% drop in November from a year earlier. In Europe, Africa and the Middle East sales were down 21%, less than the 25% decline in the previous month. Latin America still lagged, with a 34% drop which was worse than the 32% decline in November.