Boeing Shares Up in Premarket as China Mulls Lifting 737 Freeze
This could be a crucial week for Boeing (NYSE: $BA) as the upcoming meeting between US and China presidents at the APEC Summit could lead to a resolution to lift Beijing’s commercial freeze for 737 MAX planes. The planemaker and Emirates are also reported to be nearing an agreement over a major 777 jet order. Boeing’s shares are up around 3.7% in the Monday premarket at the time of writing.
Joe Biden and Xi Jinping to Meet in San Francisco on Wednesday
Boeing shares climbed 3.75% in premarket trading Monday after a recent report revealed that Chinese authorities are weighing lifting the commercial freeze for the company’s troubled 737 MAX plane later this week.
In particular, the Chinese government is considering revealing a commitment to the 737 jetliner during the APEC Summit in San Francisco, at which US and China presidents Joe Biden and Xi Jinping are set to meet. According to Bloomberg, terms of a possible deal are still being discussed, meaning the agreement could change or collapse before the two presidents meet on Wednesday.
Although the priority of Biden’s meeting with Xi Jinping is to discuss resuming military communications, it is also a unique opportunity to address aerospace issues. An agreement for 737 MAX would represent a major breakthrough for Boeing, which gave away its market lead to Airbus. The planemaker has not been able to make significant 737 MAX sales in Asia since at least 2018, before two fatal crashes that resulted in a global grounding.
Meanwhile, separate reports from Bloomberg and Reuters revealed that Boeing and Emirates are closing in on a major order of 777 planes. Per the reports, the agreement is expected to include “several dozen” 777 jets and would come in addition to Emirates’ existing order backlog for 155 of Boeing’s 777X aircraft.
Join our Telegram group and never miss a breaking digital asset story.
Boeing Shares at 1-Month High
The reports of two potential agreements come just two weeks after Boeing unveiled its Q3 report, which showed a wider-than-expected quarterly loss and a trimmed full-year outlook.
Notably, the jet manufacturer reported a loss per share of $3.26 for the third quarter, wider than the loss per share of $3.18 that analysts expected. In addition, the company’s defense business posted an operating loss of $924 billion, more than double the consensus estimates.
Furthermore, Boeing slashed its guidance for 737 MAX deliveries for the full fiscal 2023 to 375-400 jets, down from the previous forecast range of 400-450. Q3 marked another discouraging quarterly report for Boeing in the past nineteen.
Surprisingly, Boeing’s shares surged following the report, reaching a one-month peak at $196 per share. The prospect of a resolution between Washington and Beijing to lift the commercial ban on the 737 MAX, combined with a potential deal with Emirates, could significantly elevate Boeing’s sales. Such developments would mark a substantial business boost and signify a noteworthy stride for Boeing in regaining investors’ trust.
Where do you expect Boeing’s shares to trade at the start of 2024? Let us know in the comments below.