1) NASA (National Air and Space Administration) has asked for a 12% increase to give a $25.2 billion dollar budget for next year. Nearly half of this years proposed budget is for NASA’s lunar project with much of the money going to the biggest American space companies. Lockheed Martin, Boeing and Aerojet Rocketdyne will be the primary beneficiaries with $1.4 billion dollars going to the Orion spacecraft and $2.26 billion dollars for the Space Launch System. There is $3.37 billion dollars proposed to fund a crewed lunar lander system.
2) Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell suggest that the central bank may not have the ability to fight the next recession and therefore Congress may need to get ready to help. This is a result of the already low interest rate, one of the prime tools used by the central bank to counter recession trends. Tax cuts and government spending increases may be necessary to fight a downturn, for there is little else the central bank has to counter a recession.
3) The giant aircraft maker Boeing Aircraft is facing bigger problems than just fixing its 737MAX and getting it certified to fly. The company needs to be focused on its next generation of passenger aircraft. Boeing didn’t get any new orders for aircraft in January compared with 45 orders last year, while delivering 13 airliners compared with 46 last January. Boeing is falling behind its rival Airbus and must build its next generation of planes to remain competitive. This means getting its 777X finished and ready for delivery with its other wide body plane, the 787 Dreamliner. In the background is a possible new design concept the 797.
4) Stock market closings for – 12 FEB 20:
Dow 29,551.42 up 275.08
Nasdaq 9,725.96 up 87.02
S&P 500 3,379.45 up 21.70
10 Year Yield: up at 1.63%
Oil: up at $51.69