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Tuesday, April 15, 2014

Delta Not Out Of Turbulent Skies Yet.

Delta Air Lines, Inc. is one of the top five airline companies in U.S today. Delta’s stock share symbol is DAL registered in the New York Stock Exchange with a market capital of a staggering 27.62 Billion. Deltastock share price today is $32.52 per share and has declined by 1.48%. Delta stock chart shows an immense increase in price from the end of 2013 continuing towards 2014 as it increased from roughly $10 per share to $35 per share. The price of Delta stock had risen, because at the end of 2013 the company recorded a profit of $2.7 Billion, resulting from a 2% increase in passenger traffic which grew over the last three months of 2013. This benefited DAL stocks since the end of the year brings with it the time of festivities due to the winter holidays; this is also the time where overseas students have to return to their homes as well as the labor force that evidently has to do the same. Apparently it seems as if most of these people want to travel with Delta Air Lines, Inc.

Now then, how ironic would it be for an airline company to fall victim to Pteromerhanophobia, in other words fear of flying. On 10th April 2014 a statement was released that U.S government is subsidizing The Boeing Company’s non-U.S customers and since Delta Air Lines, Inc. are located in the States, it is a safe bet to say that Delta Air Line, Inc. are not thrilled. From 10th April to date Delta stocks have suffered by $2 which is exponential considering that only 2 days have passed. Delta Air Lines, Inc. is quite concerned over this fact and already is trying to rectify the foreseeable problems which lie ahead for DAL stocks.

Plans towards rectification include the buying of 50 new long-haul jets from Boeing, as well as Airbus who are Boeing’s direct competitors. This is somewhat astounding to see as Delta Air Lines, Inc. were always considered to be penny-pinching as it has been some time since they have invested as they plan to invest now. Whether this materializes or not is still what remains to be seen. Delta Air Lines, Inc. operates in a colluded market coming on most part close to the economic model known as Oligopoly. Delta Air Lines, Inc. had already expanded in 2008 when they acquired Northwest. They will grow if they occupy these 50 new long-haul jets.

The curiosity takes hold over one’s mind: As airlines grow do they actually get better, especially now in Delta’s current predicament. Delta Air Lines, Inc. who are currently ranked 4th on the Airline Quality Rating 2013, may find themselves victimized over the law of diminishing marginal returns. However looking at the current scenario Delta have more than outperformed what at a time, one thought would be their demise as Wichita State marketing professor Don Headley states “Bigger hasn’t always been better, but in Delta’s case we are seeing a large airline at levels usually only seen by smaller low-fare carriers”. So there are turbulent skies ahead for Delta but if what they are going for materializes, they may have smooth sailings ahead.

Space: No Longer the Final Frontier for Boeing

The Boeing company stocks opened at $122.07 today at 4:03pm (Eastern Time) and saw a stable flight path for the most part, with a maximum fluctuation of only 1.25%. Considering their recent performance, this hardly comes as a surprise. Operating in the open market under the stock symbol BA, the Boeing Company has an annual market cap of $90.75 billion which puts it in the league of top grossing companies in the world. Boeing currently stands at number 30 on Forbes fortune500 list as well as 26th on the list of the worlds most admired companies. A manufacturer and designer of fixed wing aircraft, rotor craft, satellites and rocket systems; Boeing has been significantly influential in the realm of aviation both in the US as well as elsewhere since the summer of 1916. Boeing’s revenues frequently earn it the honor of being the highest grossing US based exporter by dollar value, as well as the second largest US federal contractor.
The Boeing Company is split, for operational efficiency, into five divisions; Boeing commercial airlines, Boeing defense, space and security, engineering operations and technology; Boeing capital; and the Boeing shared services group. Being largely regarded as a company that delivers regularly and delivers big to all shareholders, Boeing stock is currently being regarded as a “buy” by stock market analysts. This is due to various internal and external stimuli. One such reason is the lead in terms of total aircraft sales that Boeing has recently acquired over its largest competitor, Airbus. When Airbus failed to finalize a crucial deal with an Italian Airline this march, the Boeing Company was busy closing supply agreements with major Canadian airlines and expanding production capacity to accommodate the doubled rate of production of its 737 and the newly launched 787. In the first quarter of this year alone, the Boeing Company was able to manufacture and ship 161 commercial airliners to its clients worldwide as well as 46 airborne warfare platforms, including the EA6B growler, the F/A-18 super hornet and Chinook troop transport and combat search and rescue helicopters. Based on volume and revenue alone this is a huge achievement; Consequently investor interest in the Boeing Company’s stock as well as the Boeing Company’s stock share prices have both soared.

Being a large contributor to America’s production industry, the Boeing Company is responsible for the generation of tens of thousands of jobs in its factories and assembly centers in the US alone. 1000 such employment opportunities were generated in the state of California when Boeing decided to relocate its Washington factory to create a more efficient and central location for manufacture and customer support; Hence garnering significant Investor interest on philanthropic grounds. So far quarterly reports suggest an 18% improvement in production capacities, providing further reason to assume more upward mobility in the Boeing Company stock graph.

One division not seeing the same prosperity as nearly all the rest is Boeing’s space exploration division, responsible for the design and manufacture of satellites and rocket systems largely employed for use by NASA. Since NASA, the Boeing Company’s largest customer for its space exploration products is in troubled waters regarding funding and government grants manufacturing, supply and sale of these products has reached a hiatus.