NEW YORK -- Stock futures headed higher Monday with investors getting a peek into the health of the U.S. manufacturing sector.

Dow Jones industrial futures rose 11 points to 13,823. The broader S&P futures added 2 points to 1,497.70. Nasdaq futures gained 3 points to 2,731.

The Commerce Department is expected to report that companies boosted orders for long-lasting manufactured goods as the year came to a close, a good sign for the economy heading into 2013.

Economists polled by FactSet expect that orders for durable goods rose 1.9 percent in December. The report will be released at 8:30 a.m. EST Monday.

It would be the third consecutive month that the private sector signaled more robust investment plans.

And Caterpillar (CAT) beat Wall Street expectations when the purchase of a new purchase in China is discounted.

Shares of the manufacturer rose more than 2 percent in premarket trading.

Still, the company remains cautious about this year because the global economic picture remains clouded.