KEY POINTS

  • Defense stocks dropped sharply Thursday afternoon after President Donald Trump suggested the U.S. could massively cut defense spending.
  • Trump has sent mixed messages on military spending throughout his 2024 campaign and in the early days of his presidency.
  • withabeard@lemmy.world
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    3 months ago

    Who’s to bet a load of shares get bought up, then suddenly this announcement is rescinded?

    • Sc00ter@lemm.ee
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      3 months ago

      I bought lockheed martin call options after the way the steel markets rebounded

      Edit: just checked volume on LMT. 2.4M today vs an average of 1.35M. Yeeeeeeah. Lot more buyers than usual today

      • oyo@lemm.ee
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        3 months ago

        Yay for incredibly immoral investments. It’s disgusting how stock trading has been gamified and divorced from what it actually is, owning and supporting a company.

    • jmcs@discuss.tchncs.de
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      3 months ago

      Since the entire thing is contingent on China and Russia agreeing to half their defence budget too, the only thing to bet on is when it will be rescinded.

  • Nollij@sopuli.xyz
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    3 months ago

    I’m guessing this is all just a ploy to make Lockheed, Northrup, and Raytheon kiss the ring.

    Next week, all the classified work will be contracted to them for a steal of only thrice the price, but only once they’ve publicly kissed his ass enough.

  • flop_leash_973@lemmy.world
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    3 months ago

    I don’t like it when I agree with the general notion of something Trump says or does. Makes me feel dirty.

    • Stern@lemmy.world
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      3 months ago

      Broken clocks. If its any consolation he could be, variously-

      1. Floating random shit. Common Trump talk.
      2. Actually wanting to weaken the U.S. militarily, to the benefit of his leash holders.
      3. Fishing for bribes.
    • MothmanDelorian@lemmy.world
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      3 months ago

      Wait until you see how i gets halved. Im willing to bet they axe the VA, any scholastic programs, ROTC et al as most policies are about destroying America.

    • Fedizen@lemmy.world
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      3 months ago

      Thats the magic of trump though, when he’s vague about things he can sometimes spin them as something agreeable. My guess is he’ll keep the regime change bullshit and nix stuff like burn pit procedures, ukraine support, and veterans benefits

  • MetalMachine@feddit.nl
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    3 months ago

    Would be a good thing if it would actually happen but we all know it won’t. Happy to be proven wrong however

    • MothmanDelorian@lemmy.world
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      3 months ago

      The military is a jobs program. It’s paying for a ton of education and scientific research too. The first thing to go is going to be the scholarships not the guns.

  • Queen HawlSera@lemm.ee
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    3 months ago

    If he actually halves Pentagon Spending, that would be… the first good deed he’s ever done.

    • bitchkat@lemmy.world
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      3 months ago

      I can see him doing away with seasonal clock shifts by accident at some point.

    • answersplease77@lemmy.world
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      3 months ago

      He never will. He sent a message for weapon manufacturer CEOs to chip in, and off course they will gladlyl buy him just like how silicon techies did

      • tempest@lemmy.ca
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        3 months ago

        Exactly, this is just fishing for a bribe, just like the tariffs. Bribe Trump enough and your program or industry will get a loop hole or passed over for 6 months or whatever.

  • IninewCrow@lemmy.ca
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    3 months ago

    Are you kidding … who the hell believes anything this idiot says any more. If any one does, then you are just as dumb or dumber than this orange cheeseball.

    He is the master of deception, lies and misdirection … he’ll say one thing, everyone panics and runs around scared or angry and while they panic, he goes behind everyone to pull off some cheesy lame ass scam that would have been easy to stop otherwise but he gets away with it because everyone is preoccupied.

    The stocks will jump up and down at his every whim and because he is the one directing the show, he’ll profit by betting on when the fall occurs and when the rise returns. He’ll skim off everyone’s wealth over and over again until we’re all bled dry.

  • Norgoroth@lemmy.world
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    3 months ago

    Please keep fucking with the defense contractors, surely they won’t take any drastic measures against you