Global defense stocks have soared in recent weeks, with nations racing to boost arms inventories as geopolitical tensions rise.
US President Donald Trump’s calls for a more than 50% increase to his country’s military budget have lifted the valuations of domestic firms, with Lockheed Martin rising 15% so far this year.
European arms companies have also been buoyed by a growing focus on the continent on defense spending, with the EU set to unveil its own security strategy this year, Euractiv reported.
The geopolitical unrest sparked by Washington’s capture of Venezuela’s leader, and Trump’s vows to take control of Greenland, has sent arms manufacturers’ stocks soaring elsewhere, too, with a Korean firm’s market cap jumping by 40% this year.
