Caterpillar Inc. 's ( CAT ) shares hit a 52-week high of $102.76 during intraday trading on Apr 2, buoyed by a report that the U.S private jobs have picked up and China's mini stimulus will rev up its economy. The stock finally closed at $102.63, gaining almost 3% in a day. The closing share price reflects a year-to-date return of about 13.7%, outperforming the S&P return of 2.8%. Caterpillar has emerged strong amid an ongoing Senate probe for possible overseas tax evasions. It is alleged that the company evaded around $2.4 billion of U.S. taxes by shifting profits to a wholly owned Swiss subsidiary. Caterpillar officials defended their case saying that the Swiss subsidiary was a real business and not a tax shelter as alleged. A similar movement was seen in shares of General Motors Company ( GM ) which gained 1.7% yesterday, despite facing congressional hearing as to why the automaker delayed recall of vehicles with faulty ignition switches.