Despite the widespread uncertainty and a selloff across multiple sectors, the early morning hours of Monday, March 2, led to a strong rally across several key industries.
Among these, probably the biggest winners came in the form of American defense companies, which are, almost uniformly, up more than 5% in the pre-market.
The key – and arguably singular – reason for the stock market upsurge is the conflagration in the Middle East that started early on Saturday with a joint U.S.-Israeli strike against Iran in the midst of negotiations between the parties.
Rtx Corporation (NYSE: RTX)
By press time on March 2, Rtx Corporation (NYSE: RTX) – also known as Raytheon – was the biggest winner. After closing on Friday at $202.62, it soared 6.20% to $215.18.
The company manufactures a wide variety of critical systems such as missiles, munitions, radars, and sensors for missile defense, avionics, airplane engines, and much more.
With the air force and missiles being the primary tools used by Israel and the U.S. in the conflict, and with the primary danger coming from Iranian missiles and drones, the RTX rally was, arguably, to be expected.
Lockheed Martin (NYSE: LMT)
Much the same can be said about the second-biggest gainer of the extended session: Lockheed Martin (NYSE: LMT). LMT shares are, by press time, up 5.97% to $698.39 from their latest close at $658.08.
Lockheed-Martin is best known as an advanced combat aircraft manufacturer, but its portfolio is expansive and, perhaps critically, includes the air defense THAAD system.
Northrop Grumman (NYSE: NOC)
Northrop Grumman (NYSE: NOC) is in a similar boat to LMT, considering it is known for stealth aircraft, drones, and similar products. Much like in June of 2025, its famed B-2 Spirit stealth bombers were reportedly utilized in a major strike against Iran’s underground facilities over the weekend, and, much like in June of 2025, to uncertain results.
Nonetheless, NOC stock rallied 4.64% from its Friday closing price and is, at press time on March 2, changing hands at $758.
Palantir (NASDAQ: PLTR)
A somewhat different defense company, the software firm Palantir (NASDAQ: PLTR), also benefited from its close integration and extensive contracts with the U.S. Armed Forces. PLTR is, at press time, up 3.50% in the extended session and is changing hands at $142.
Boeing (NYSE: BA)
Ultimately, the long-belieagured aeronautics giant Boeing (NYSE: BA) is the only well-known name in the defense sector to have evaded a substantial rally. Indeed, BA stock climbed just 0.43% to $228.50 in the Monday pre-market.
Still, Boeing’s lackluster performance could be expected given that the company has been struggling for years amidst a series of strange and often catastrophic incidents involving its aircraft that were, for the most part, apparently caused by lacking quality control practices.
Featured image via Shutterstock
