The Boeing Company

NASA on Friday issued a final request for proposals to develop commercial space stations that could replace the International Space Station, advancing plans to shift low Earth orbit operations to private companies while maintaining a continuous U.S. presence in space. Proposals are due Dec. 8, with contract awards expected in spring 2027, and NASA plans to select at least two contractors for initial development before holding a subsequent competition for final design, testing, certification and operational services. The agency intends to award multiple firm-fixed-price, indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contracts covering development, certification and operation of the stations, seeking companies able to provide integrated destinations and transportation services for astronauts conducting research and technology development in low Earth orbit. Publicly traded aerospace companies with potential exposure include Boeing, Lockheed Martin, Northrop Grumman and Redwire, while private firms Axiom Space, Vast and Starlab Space are also pursuing commercial orbital destinations. NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman emphasized that commercial operators will need business models extending beyond government contracts, saying the opportunity is significant but the economics ultimately have to work.

Boeing reported a total backlog of $715 billion at the end of its second quarter, of which $597 billion came from commercial airplanes, while its Defense, Space & Security and Global Services segments carried backlogs of $85 billion and $33 billion respectively. The company delivered $24.6 billion in revenue for the second quarter of fiscal 2026, up from $22.7 billion a year earlier, and generated $1.4 billion in operating cash flow and $631 million in free cash flow, though it posted a core loss of $0.76 per share. Boeing also completed its first landing gear exchange with American Airlines, extending its Landing Gear Exchange Program to the single-aisle 737 MAX platform, and launched its final three O3b mPOWER satellites, F11, F12 and F13, completing a 13-satellite constellation for operator SES. The company carries $45.9 billion in consolidated debt, down from $47.2 billion in the prior quarter, with $20 billion in cash and marketable instruments leaving total net debt at $25.9 billion and a debt-to-equity ratio of about 7.5x. Boeing shares are down 11.44% in 2026, and hedge fund ownership slipped from 99 funds in the first quarter of 2026 to 90 funds in the following quarter, according to 13F filings.

Southwest Airlines is leaning toward Boeing's 787 Dreamliner as its first widebody jet as it weighs launching long-haul international flights, Reuters reported, citing people familiar with the carrier's fleet planning. No final aircraft decision has been made, the report added, and the choice would ultimately rest with Southwest's board, which last year formed a Fleet Oversight Committee to help oversee the company's aircraft fleet acquisition strategy. Southwest has not publicly named an aircraft for long-haul flying; in September, CFO Tom Doxey said long-haul international service was among a range of options under consideration but that no decision had been made. According to the report, Southwest has contemplated a fleet of dozens of 787s and has also examined how quickly it could obtain aircraft, including through lessors or the secondary market, though it was not clear which 787 variant it is considering or whether any leasing arrangements have been made. Southwest did not directly address questions about the 787, saying in a statement, "We do not have any news forthcoming related to our fleet plans," the report added.

China Jushi announced that it expects net profit attributable to shareholders of the listed company for the first three quarters of 2026 to be between 5.136 billion yuan and 5.393 billion yuan, up 100% to 110% year on year. The change is mainly due to increased demand in major downstream application areas for fiberglass and a simultaneous rise in product volume and prices. On the same day, several other companies released earnings forecasts. Kinwong Electronic expects third-quarter net profit of 912 million yuan to 1.089 billion yuan, up 205.46% to 264.74% year on year, benefiting from faster mass production and shipments of high-performance PCBs in high-speed communications and AI data infrastructure. Delton Technology expects net profit of 1.45 billion yuan to 1.5 billion yuan for the first three quarters, up 100.33% to 107.23%, focusing on the computing power PCB market. Hongfuhan expects net profit of 170 million yuan to 200 million yuan for the first three quarters, up 108.19% to 144.93%, with mass production and delivery of liquid cooling plate cabinet module business becoming the core incremental driver. Bohai Leasing's controlling subsidiary Avolon, through its wholly owned subsidiary AALL, signed an agreement with Boeing to purchase 140 B737 MAX series aircraft. Based on Boeing's published list prices, the total value does not exceed 26.953 billion US dollars, while the actual purchase price carries a certain discount. The deal still needs shareholder approval and is expected to be fully delivered by the end of 2036. MicuRx Pharmaceuticals plans to sign an exclusive license agreement for the MRX-23 project and a platform technology cooperation agreement with ClearideBio of Switzerland. The upfront payment is 1 million US dollars, the nominal cap for MRX-23 development, registration and sales milestone payments totals 223 million US dollars, and the total payment cap when all platform cooperation project options are exercised and all milestones are achieved is 750 million US dollars. China Northern Rare Earth and Baogang Group both announced that the rare earth concentrate transaction price for the fourth quarter of 2026 will be adjusted to 38,769 yuan per ton excluding tax, up 0.53% quarter on quarter. Wuliangye has cumulatively repurchased 16.1278 million shares, with a total amount paid of about 1.201 billion yuan. ST Nachuan has been placed on file for investigation by the China Securities Regulatory Commission for suspected illegal information disclosure in its 2023 annual report. Yu Faxiang, the actual controller of Xiangyuan Cultural Tourism and Jiaojian Co., Ltd., has also been placed on file for investigation by the CSRC for suspected illegal information disclosure.

Bohai Leasing announced on the evening of October 9 that its subsidiary Avolon has signed agreements with Airbus and Boeing to purchase 250 aircraft, including 75 A320NEO family aircraft, 35 A330NEO family aircraft, and 140 B737 MAX family aircraft, while also obtaining purchase options for 100 Airbus aircraft covering the A320NEO and A330NEO. Airbus aircraft will be delivered progressively by the end of 2035, and Boeing aircraft by the end of 2036. After this purchase, Avolon's ordered aircraft will increase to 749, ranking first in the industry by order size. Third-quarter operating information disclosed on the same day shows that as of the end of the third quarter of 2026, Avolon's fleet size was 1,092 aircraft, including 561 owned aircraft, 32 managed aircraft, and 499 ordered aircraft, excluding this purchase, serving 138 airline customers in 62 countries worldwide. In the first half of 2026, the company's overall fleet utilization rate was approximately 100 percent, achieving aircraft leasing revenue of about 10.7 billion yuan, up 6.62 percent year on year, with a fleet weighted average lease rate of 10.74 percent, up 23 basis points from the end of 2025.

J.P. Morgan downgraded Leidos Holdings to Neutral from Overweight and lowered its price target to $142 from $160, citing deteriorating earnings expectations tied to weakness in the company's healthcare business. The new target still implies roughly 25% upside from Leidos' Oct. 7 closing price of $113.55, but analyst Seth M. Seifman said the company's relatively low valuation is not enough to justify an Overweight rating when other aerospace and defense stocks offer substantial potential returns. J.P. Morgan forecasts Leidos' 2027 revenue at approximately $18.1 billion, down from an estimated $18.35 billion in 2026, with adjusted ebitda falling to $2.14 billion from $2.45 billion and adjusted ebitda margin declining to 11.8% from 13.3%, largely on Health segment margins projected to drop to 16% from 22%. Seifman noted that Bloomberg consensus estimates still anticipate approximately $2.45 billion in adjusted ebitda for 2027, suggesting published expectations may be too optimistic. In the same Oct. 8 research report, J.P. Morgan named Howmet Aerospace, Honeywell Aerospace, Huntington Ingalls Industries and Lockheed Martin as potential outperformers this earnings season, while keeping Overweight ratings on Boeing with a $290 price target and StandardAero with a $40 price target.

Boeing has secured an undefinitized contract worth about US$14.7b from Lockheed Martin to scale PAC-3 Missile Segment Enhancement seeker production over a seven year period. The award comes as Boeing shares closed at US$188.32, with a 90 day share price return down 15.59%, a year to date share price return down 17.32%, and a one year total shareholder return down 16.42%. On the operating side, Commercial Airplanes narrowed its operating margin from negative 5.1% to negative 2.7% on 171 deliveries against 150, while the 737 is transitioning to 47 per month from 38 a year ago, with a fourth Everett line activated in July and management targeting 52 next year. A Simply Wall St narrative pegs Boeing's fair value at $160.01, implying the stock is 17.7% overvalued, while the firm's discounted cash flow model points to a future cash flow value of $376.49.

Norwegian Air Shuttle said Monday its September load factor rose to 87.1%, up 0.6 percentage points from a year earlier, as strong autumn holiday demand across the Nordic countries filled flights. The Norwegian Group carried 2.8 million passengers in September, of which Norwegian flew 2.4 million and regional carrier Wideroe 394,000. Norwegian's capacity, measured in available seat kilometers, rose 6% year over year to 3,833 million, while passenger traffic, measured in revenue passenger kilometers, climbed 7% to 3,339 million. Yield for the month totaled 0.91, regularity was 99.4% and punctuality 84.3%, with an average of 94 aircraft in operation. Chief Executive Geir Karlsen said winter bookings are strong, with sun destinations such as Egypt and the Canary Islands and city breaks to London and Berlin performing well, while current fuel prices are creating headwinds the airline is managing through seasonally adjusted capacity and hedge positions. Norwegian also took delivery of two new Boeing 737 MAX 8 aircraft on September 30, its 200th and 201st deliveries, while at Wideroe capacity rose 3% to 208 million seat kilometers and traffic rose 1% to 149 million, pushing the load factor down 1.6 percentage points to 71.8%.

Boeing announced on the 5th that it has been awarded a seven-year contract worth about $14.7 billion from Lockheed Martin for the expanded production and delivery of seekers, the guidance units, for the PAC-3 Missile Segment Enhancement, or MSE, hit-to-kill interceptor. Under the contract, Boeing will be able to triple its production of PAC-3 MSE seekers. The PAC-3 MSE is a hit-to-kill interceptor used in the Patriot air defense system to intercept ballistic missiles, cruise missiles and aircraft. Lockheed announced in January that it had signed a seven-year framework agreement with the U.S. Department of Defense to raise annual production capacity for PAC-3 interceptors from about 600 to 2,000, and the latest contract is part of that production expansion. Demand for interceptors has surged as conflicts in the Middle East and Ukraine strain U.S. weapons stockpiles, and the U.S. Army in July awarded Lockheed a contract worth up to $58.6 billion to expand PAC-3 missile production. Industry executives, however, warn that Congress has not yet approved the funding needed for these contracts, and contractors may be unable to make large investments in parts and facilities until lawmakers act.

The Federal Aviation Administration has determined that a newly identified software glitch in the Boeing 737 MAX does not present a flight-safety concern, according to The Wall Street Journal. The agency convened its Corrective Action Review Board on Friday to assess whether the issue constituted an unsafe condition requiring immediate action. The FAA said the board reached its determination because pilots retain full control of the aircraft and the indications to the flight crew are clear and unambiguous, adding that it will consider appropriate action if new information emerges. The software problem had raised concerns among some aviation industry officials about potential safety implications when 737 MAX aircraft are landing under certain circumstances. Boeing shares traded 1.5% higher following the report.

Alaska Airlines is stepping up its international expansion from Seattle, planning to increase its intercontinental destinations from the current level to at least 15 by 2030 and adding Paris and Athens next year. The push will put much of Alaska's international capacity in direct competition with Delta Air Lines in its home market, with 92% of its scheduled intercontinental seats from Seattle through August 2027 on routes also operated nonstop by Delta, according to Cirium data analyzed by Reuters. Alaska entered the push with a lower cost base than larger rivals, reporting adjusted nonfuel cost of 11.85 cents per seat mile in the first half versus 14.58 cents for Delta, though its operating revenue per seat mile was 16.06 cents against Delta's 21.55 cents. The carrier is adding Boeing 787s, premium cabins and lounges while seeking to increase higher-margin revenue, and plans to join American Airlines' revenue-sharing ventures across the Atlantic and Pacific, pending regulatory approvals. Alaska expects revenue from outside the main cabin to reach nearly 60% by 2030, up from 53% this year.

Boeing shares rose about 4% Thursday after the company's largest white-collar union approved a new four-year contract, removing the threat of a strike that could have disrupted production and certification work at the aircraft maker. The Society of Professional Engineering Employees in Aerospace, which represents roughly 17,000 Boeing engineers, scientists, technicians and other workers, said both of its bargaining units voted to ratify the improved offer. About 68% of members in the professional unit, representing roughly 13,000 engineers and scientists, backed the agreement, while more than 53% of the technical unit, which represents about 4,000 designers, analysts and technicians, also voted in favor. The new contract provides a 10% wage increase upon ratification, followed by annual raises of 4% and the potential for an additional 2% performance-based increase. The agreement removes the immediate prospect of a strike after Boeing workers had rejected the company's initial proposal, with the current contracts set to expire October 6 and a work stoppage potentially beginning as soon as October 7. A strike could have added another complication for Boeing as it works to advance certification of its long-delayed 737 MAX 10 and 777X aircraft while increasing production and accelerating deliveries.

flydubai, the airline of the United Arab Emirates, announced a temporary suspension of all flight services to and from Israel pending the results of an official factual investigation, after unrest broke out on flight FZ1073 last Wednesday. A first officer is suspected of using a knife to attack the captain inside the cockpit and attempting to force the aircraft into a dive, before passengers and off-duty pilots on board subdued the suspect and landed the plane safely in an emergency landing in Saudi Arabia. Meanwhile, U.S. President Donald Trump praised the Boeing 737 Max today, after the aircraft model was involved in the attempted downing of the flydubai plane as it headed for Tel Aviv, Israel. Separately, Google, a company under Alphabet, announced on Wednesday the launch of its new top-tier artificial intelligence model, Gemini 4 Argon, as the spearhead of its Gemini 4 generation of models, amid a fresh push to catch up with key rivals OpenAI and Anthropic after months of delays. Tencent, a major Chinese internet company, signed an agreement to lease about 100,000 advanced AI chips from Oracle over five years for 7 billion dollars, and Huawei Technologies officially unveiled its flagship Mate 90 Series smartphones today, relying on its own developed operating system and a restructured chip architecture amid strict U.S. controls on advanced semiconductor exports.

US President Donald Trump praised the Boeing 737 Max after the aircraft model was involved in an attempted downing of a Flydubai plane bound for Israel's Tel Aviv. Trump said the 737 Max is strong and can withstand more stress on the airframe than it was designed for. However, Trump did not directly address the Flydubai flight incident, instead praising Boeing and Kelly Ortberg, Boeing's chief executive officer. Israeli officials said on Wednesday, September 30, that passengers and crew aboard the aircraft were able to thwart an attempt by the co-pilot to bring the plane down in an incident that occurred on Tuesday, September 29. During the incident, the plane plunged nearly 14,000 feet in less than 30 seconds before passengers and crew were able to regain control of the aircraft and land it safely in Tabuk, in northwestern Saudi Arabia.

Boeing and Ethiopian Airlines announced that the African carrier has ordered eight 777-8 Freighters and two 777 Freighters, making Ethiopian Airlines the first African carrier to purchase the world's newest widebody freighter. The order is Ethiopian Airlines' second for the 777X airplane family, building on its earlier purchase of eight 777-9 passenger jets that established the carrier as Africa's first 777X customer, and it doubles the airline's 777X family order book. The 777-8 Freighter will be the world's largest and most capable twin-engine freighter, with a maximum structural payload of 118 tonnes, and will be paired with the 777 Freighter to expand the carrier's Boeing freighter fleet. Ethiopian Airlines Group CEO Mesfin Tasew said the aircraft will enhance payload capacity, operational flexibility, efficiency and sustainability as cargo demand grows, while Boeing senior vice president of Commercial Sales and Marketing Brad McMullen cited the strength of the partnership and growing worldwide air cargo demand. Ethiopian Airlines currently connects more than 70 cargo markets across Africa, Asia, Europe, the Middle East and North America with a fleet of 12 777 Freighters, two 767 Freighters and four 737-800SF airplanes.

Boeing secured a $20 billion contract with the defense department to develop the next generation of fighter jets, sending its shares up 2% premarket. The deal covers development of the Sixth-Generation F/A-XX Strike Fighter, while Northrop Grumman, reportedly also in contention for the contract, tumbled 3.5%. Robinhood Markets rose 2% after announcing an in-app AI agent for its traders, plans to launch 24/7 trading for certain stocks, and the introduction of perpetual futures to its U.S. users soon. Moderna declined more than 6% after Citi downgraded the stock to sell, with analysts setting a price target 60% below Tuesday's closing price and saying the current valuation can't be justified. Concentrix fell 9.5% after fiscal third-quarter revenue came in slightly below expectations, with non-GAAP earnings per share and current-quarter revenue guidance also below estimates, and the company said on its earnings call that its AI transition is pressuring revenues. Cal-Maine Foods tumbled more than 6.5% after reporting a wider-than-expected fiscal first-quarter loss of $1.26 per share versus the 77-cent loss analysts polled by FactSet expected, while FormFactor rose 1% after Deutsche Bank initiated coverage with a buy rating, citing rising chip testing intensity and its position as the second source of probe cards for Nvidia's GPUs at TSMC.

Boeing reached a tentative four-year labor deal with the Society of Professional Engineering Employees in Aerospace covering about 17,000 workers. The proposed agreement includes guaranteed wage increases over the contract term, according to union communications released alongside the announcement. The union said the deal, announced ahead of a strike authorization timeline, will now go to members for a ratification vote. The tentative agreement lowers the immediate risk of a work stoppage that could have disrupted aircraft certification work and deliveries, easing near-term execution risk on programs such as the 737 and 777X. The deal does not remove concerns around debt, execution issues or the 737 MAX software glitch recently reported.

Boeing and NASA are in discussions to expand the Starliner vehicle's flight manifest by 10 or more future missions, according to reports from The Wall Street Journal. The potential expanded operational mandate comes as NASA prepares for sustained low Earth orbit objectives, offering Boeing a vital opportunity to stabilize its Defense, Space & Security segment. Boeing's Space segment recorded $7.5 billion in Q2 2026 revenue, up 13% year-over-year, despite a small operating loss of $15 million, and the company carries a $715 billion total corporate backlog along with $20.0 billion in cash and short-term investments. Any Starliner expansion directly affects the competitive landscape for private launch leaders like Space Exploration Technologies Corp., which delivered 55% sequential growth in Space segment revenues to $962 million in Q2 2026 while executing 78 launches. Boeing's Defense, Space & Security posted a negative 0.2% operating margin in Q2 2026, dragged down by fixed-price program cost overruns including a $280 million charge on the VC-25B, and the company holds $45.9 billion in consolidated debt.

Boeing has secured a $13.8 million contract from the U.S. Air Force for cargo ramp lock actuators for the C-17 fleet. The award is structured as a mix of firm-fixed-price and cost-plus-fixed-fee terms, meaning some work is reimbursed with an agreed-upon fee while other work is paid at a predetermined price. The work will be performed in Long Beach, California, and is expected to be completed by May 30, 2030. The contract includes $11.1 million in Air Force operations and maintenance funds and $2.6 million in FMS funds. The Air Force Life Cycle Management Center is the contracting activity.

GE Aerospace has begun shipping GE9X engines with a redesigned mid-seal to Boeing and expects FAA certification of the modified part within the next few months, CFO Rahul Ghai said at a Morgan Stanley conference, expressing confidence the durability issue will not delay the Boeing 777X's planned 2027 entry into service. Testing showed the original seal, which connects the engine's front and rear sections, lacked the durability GE expected; the company identified the root cause, completed a redesign, validated the new component internally, and incorporated it into engines now moving through production. Boeing can continue using the original seal for current certification work, including approvals required before ETOPS testing, while GE pursues separate FAA approval for the redesigned component in production aircraft, allowing regulatory work to advance in parallel. The GE9X exclusively powers the 777X, and GE previously reported an order book exceeding 950 engines, with Emirates alone having since increased its total order to more than 540 units. Boeing CEO Kelly Ortberg has separately warned that regulatory work on the 777X could extend into 2027 because of engine-certification issues, and GE has not disclosed the expense associated with testing the new seal, modifying engines or addressing units that already contain the original component.

Vietjet Thailand has kicked off its 10th anniversary celebration under the theme "10 Years of Dedication, A New Chapter Takes Flight" at CentralwOrld, with Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Transport Phiphat Ratchakitprakarn presiding over the opening ceremony. The event runs from September 25 to 27, 2026, at the Central Court zone on the first floor. Woraneti Laphrabang, Chief Executive Officer of Vietjet Thailand, said that since beginning commercial flights in 2016, the airline has served more than 50 million cumulative passengers and transported over 100,000 tonnes of cargo. It aims to expand its fleet to 29 aircraft by the end of 2026 to support increased flight frequency and the launch of new routes to international destinations. The airline is also pressing ahead with expanding its "Sky ConX" programme, connecting travel from regional airports to international destinations nationwide, and is bringing in the new Boeing 737-8 to improve fuel efficiency and reduce emissions. The event also unveiled the "Blueview" in-flight entertainment system, which is expected to enter service in the fourth quarter of 2026 at no charge, along with a new Sky Café menu item, Spicy Roast Duck Spaghetti, created by Chef Nick Nattaphon Phawaphaiboon, and special offers throughout the event, such as tickets starting at 910 baht round trip and Fun Coins giveaways for redeeming discounts on products and services.

Airports of Thailand, or AOT, disclosed that Ms. Paweena Jariyathitipong, Chief Executive Officer, together with Air Vice Marshal Somchanok Tiamtiabrat, Advisor 10 and Acting Senior Executive Vice President for Airport and Aviation Standards, held discussions with Mr. Erik Langhofer, Director of Regulatory Affairs, Global Safety & Regulatory Affairs, Asia-Pacific, and Ms. Tammie Kuo, Airport Engineering Technology, Boeing Commercial Airplanes, from The Boeing Company, regarding the introduction of the Boeing 777X aircraft into operations at AOT's airports. The purpose of this discussion was to prepare the airports for aircraft parking stand management and to fully ready other facilities for this aircraft model, in order to create opportunities for airlines to consider bringing the Boeing 777X into service. This will benefit passenger volumes and enhance the potential of AOT's airports under safety standards. It also supports AOT's goal of becoming a World-Class Aviation Hub and will further stimulate Thailand's tourism and economic sectors.

Boeing has secured a commitment from Turkish Airlines covering as many as 150 737 Max jets, the carrier's biggest single-aisle order from the manufacturer. The agreement, announced in a Wednesday press release, consists of 100 firm orders for 737-8 aircraft plus options for 50 additional jets, and Turkish Airlines can replace some of those selections with the larger 737-10 model. The single-aisle commitment follows a 2025 widebody deal covering as many as 75 787 Dreamliners. Turkish Airlines and its AJet subsidiary operate more than 200 Boeing aircraft spanning 737 Max, 737 Next-Generation, 777 and 787 models, along with 777 freighters, and the airline's fleet of 567 passenger and cargo aircraft serves 358 destinations in 133 countries. The 737-8s are intended for domestic and international routes, and Boeing said the agreement includes industrial participation in Turkiye's aviation sector, though financial details and the scope of that work were not provided. Discussions over the purchase began in 2025.

President Xi Jinping of China arrived Wednesday evening at Andrews Air Force Base outside Washington, D.C., for a three-day state visit, his first to the United States since the Obama administration, and was greeted on the tarmac by President Trump. The two sides agreed to extend a trade truce just before the summit, building on a thaw that followed a tariff war with levies that extended beyond 100% and the subsequent resumption of critical rare earths from Beijing. A dinner tonight will feature the CEOs of Alphabet, Apple, Citigroup, Dell, Nvidia, and Tesla. Trade is expected to dominate the agenda, with possible announcements on agricultural purchases, non-tariff barriers, and more high-end computer chips to China, while discussions will also cover China's economic support for Iran and Russia and multi-billion-dollar U.S. arms deals with Taiwan. Boeing has effectively been shut out of China since 2017 as rival Airbus expanded its market share, and Trump said last week he is not opposed to Chinese automakers manufacturing cars in the U.S. as long as they employ Americans.

Boeing Co. has told its suppliers they must shift away from traditional manual processes as the airplane manufacturer works to increase production rates. Chief Technology Officer Lane Ballard said at an industry event on Wednesday that the aerospace sector needs to transition from its historical approach to modern manufacturing techniques, noting that aerospace used to be a craftsman business that was hand-built and hand-riveted. Ballard said suppliers need to understand they must move away from craftsman thinking and become versed in autonomy, and that Boeing and its suppliers require engineers with expertise in software, autonomy, artificial intelligence and rapid design-to-manufacturing processes. Boeing and competitor Airbus SE are working to increase production to address large order backlogs, though both face supply chain bottlenecks affecting key components. Increasing 737 Max production rates remains important for Boeing as it works to reduce debt and compete with Airbus in the single-aisle aircraft market, and Ballard said the industry will need approximately 40,000 commercial airplanes over the next 20 years. Last week, Boeing Chief Executive Officer Kelly Ortberg said the company needs more time to stabilize 737 production at 47 planes per month, citing challenges in in-house wing production, but added that the supply chain is in pretty good shape to move to the next rate next year.

President Donald Trump is preparing to welcome Chinese leader President Xi Jinping to the White House on Sept 24, their second meeting this year following a summit in Beijing in May. Xi will arrive in Washington, D.C. on Sept 23, and Trump plans to greet him personally at Joint Base Andrews before a welcome ceremony on the South Lawn of the White House, marking the first state-level official visit by a Chinese leader since 2015. The main item on the negotiating table is the extension of the trade truce agreement set to expire on Nov 10. China wants the truce to last until the end of Trump's term, while U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer has said a 3-6 month framework is acceptable to the United States, because China has fulfilled only about two-thirds of its rare earth commitments under the trade deal. The U.S. is watching for confirmation of China's order for 200 Boeing aircraft and agricultural goods, especially soybeans, worth 29 billion dollars in 2024, as well as a reciprocal tariff reduction package worth 30 billion dollars. China accounts for roughly 70% of global rare earth mining, 85% of refining capacity and about 90% of alloy and magnet production, giving it significant leverage. On Taiwan, China wants the United States to end arms sales and to change its wording from not supporting to opposing Taiwan independence. Analysts at Bank of America Global Research assess that the most likely scenario is an extension of the trade truce by one year.