U.S. GDP Grows 4.3% Annually, Highest in Two Years
Written by Emily J. Thompson, Senior Investment Analyst
Updated: Dec 23 2025
0mins
Should l Buy FJET?
Source: Benzinga
- Accelerated Economic Growth: The U.S. GDP grew at an annualized rate of 4.3% in Q3, a significant increase from 3.8% in the previous quarter and surpassing market expectations of 3.3%, indicating a robust economic recovery that could drive future investment and consumer spending.
- Slight Industrial Production Increase: U.S. industrial production rose by 0.1% month-over-month in October and November, suggesting stability in manufacturing, which may support ongoing economic growth despite the modest increase.
- Decline in Durable Goods Orders: Durable goods orders fell by 2.2% month-over-month to $307.4 billion in October, reflecting a cautious stance among businesses amid uncertainties, which could impact future production plans and economic outlook.
- Mixed Market Reactions: Despite positive economic data, stock market performance was mixed, with the Nasdaq rising by 0.2% while the Dow dipped slightly, indicating varied investor responses across different sectors that may influence short-term market sentiment.
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Analyst Views on FJET
About FJET
Starfighters Space, Inc. operates the commercial fleet of flight-ready F-104 supersonic aircraft (Lockheed F-104). The Lockheed F-104 is developed as a supersonic aircraft for the United States Armed Forces. Supersonic flights capable of flying at MACH 2 with air-launch rockets in development through the Starfighters STARLAUNCH program. The Lockheed F-104 also performed many safety chase missions in support of advanced research aircraft and provided a launch platform for sounding rockets. The Company organizes its services into various categories: historical services and new services. Its historical services include pilot and astronaut training, launch services and access to space, and in-flight testing. Its new services include launch services and access to space (commercial, academic, civil and government clients), and airborne testbed for hypersonic research and development (R&D) and test and evaluation (T&E) test bed (commercial, academic, civil and government).
About the author
Emily J. Thompson
Emily J. Thompson, a Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) with 12 years in investment research, graduated with honors from the Wharton School. Specializing in industrial and technology stocks, she provides in-depth analysis for Intellectia’s earnings and market brief reports.
Starfighters Partners with Mu-GTech to Expand Aerospace Services
- Enhanced Capabilities: The collaboration between Starfighters and Mu-GTech aims to bolster operational capabilities in the aerospace market by providing access to microgravity testing environments, addressing the increasing demand from government and commercial space programs.
- Flight Validation Plans: The companies plan to conduct flight validation and data collection to assess operational performance and commercial scalability, potentially allowing for longer-duration parabolas for research purposes, thereby enhancing the quality of reduced-gravity environments.
- Market Response: This partnership responds to NASA's 'Sources Sought' notice, indicating Starfighters' proactive engagement in technology development and further expanding its service offerings in the microgravity research sector.
- Stock Performance Analysis: Starfighters' shares are currently priced at $7.58, trading 16.6% above the 20-day simple moving average but 8.3% below the 50-day average, reflecting mixed short-term momentum in the market.
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BETA Technologies Reports Disappointing Q4 Results
- Earnings Miss: BETA Technologies reported a Q4 loss of $2.02 per share, significantly worse than the analyst consensus estimate of a loss of $0.84, indicating substantial challenges in profitability that could undermine investor confidence.
- Sales Beat: Despite the significant losses, the company achieved quarterly sales of $11.133 million, surpassing the analyst consensus of $7.859 million, suggesting some resilience in market demand that could lay the groundwork for future growth.
- Stock Reaction: In pre-market trading, BETA's shares fell 3.1% to $18.67, reflecting a negative investor response to the earnings report, which may lead to increased liquidity pressure in the short term.
- Market Sentiment: The overall market sentiment is bearish, with Dow futures down over 1%, indicating investor concerns about the economic outlook, which could further impact BETA Technologies and other related stocks.
See More
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- Surge in Energy Prices: Brent crude oil prices spiked 14.90% to $106.50 per barrel, while WTI rose 13.27% to $102.96, both nearing their 52-week highs, triggering market panic and negatively impacting stock futures.
- Poor Market Performance: The Dow Jones fell 1.61%, the S&P 500 dropped 1.41%, and the Nasdaq 100 decreased by 1.56%, reflecting investor concerns about economic prospects, particularly amid escalating conflicts in the Middle East.
- Disappointing Economic Data: The U.S. economy lost 92,000 jobs in February, with the unemployment rate rising to 4.4%, indicating a risk of “stagflation” that exacerbates market uncertainty and fragility.
- Fed Policy Expectations: The CME Group's FedWatch tool indicates a 97.3% likelihood that the Federal Reserve will keep interest rates unchanged in March, reflecting investor worries about slowing economic growth.
See More
Starfighters Space Inc. Shares Decline Amid Rising Fuel Costs
- Fuel Cost Impact: Starfighters Space Inc. shares dropped nearly 5% in Sunday overnight trading as escalating Middle East conflicts raised concerns, stalling momentum from a 16.64% surge on Friday, reflecting investor anxiety over the economic implications of a prolonged U.S.-Iran conflict.
- Aviation Sector Vulnerability: Rothschild & Co Redburn highlighted that the Middle East conflict poses a significant obstacle for airline carriers, with analyst James Goodall noting that every 10-cent increase per gallon could lead to a nearly 25% decline in earnings per share, impacting operational profitability across the sector.
- Leadership Transition: The departure of CEO Rick Svetkoff on February 23, 2026, and the appointment of Tim Franta, a veteran with over 20 years of experience, may create a turbulent environment for shareholders, as the exit of a visionary founder shortly after an IPO often leads to market uncertainty.
- Future Outlook: Despite a 4.88% drop to $7.40, the company remains focused on its STARLAUNCH system, and while the stock is down 33.22% year-to-date, it closed higher on Friday at $7.78, indicating some resilience in the market amidst ongoing challenges.
See More
Congress Approves $839 Billion Defense Budget for 2026
- Defense Budget Increase: Congress approved an $839 billion defense budget for 2026, which is $8 billion more than requested by the Department of Defense, with significant funding allocated for space, missile defense, and advanced aerospace systems, likely boosting growth for related companies.
- Hypersonic Defense Investment: The Pentagon's $152 billion spending plan allocates $2.2 billion specifically to accelerate hypersonic defense systems and $5.6 billion for space-based interceptors, indicating a strong commitment to advancing future defense technologies.
- Starfighters Expansion Plan: Starfighters Space is expanding operations at Midland International Air & Space Port, currently housing four F-104 aircraft and 14 GE J-79 engines, with plans to double this number within 18 months to enhance mission cadence and geographic flexibility.
- STARLAUNCH 1 Project Progress: Starfighters' STARLAUNCH 1 program has moved to Critical Design Review, building on successful subsonic and supersonic wind tunnel tests in Florida that demonstrated excellent separation behavior, further solidifying its leading position in aerospace testing.
See More
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- Leadership Change: Tim Franta was appointed CEO of Starfighters Space on February 23, succeeding founder Rick Svetkoff, who resigned from all executive roles, marking a new chapter for the company in the rapidly evolving aerospace sector.
- Launch Capability Expansion: Franta announced plans for over 150 launches in 2026, a significant increase from just 12 launches per year 14 years ago, indicating strong growth potential in the aerospace market.
- Defense Collaboration: The company is partnering with the U.S. Air Force Research Laboratory to develop hypersonic rockets, which can travel at speeds between 5 to 25 times the speed of sound, highlighting Starfighters' critical role in national security.
- Optimistic Market Outlook: Franta compared the rapid growth of the space industry to the explosive app market in 2007, emphasizing that the upcoming SpaceX IPO is expected to have a positive impact on the entire sector, further enhancing Starfighters Space's market position.
See More
Starfighters Partners with Mu-GTech to Expand Aerospace Services
- Enhanced Capabilities: The collaboration between Starfighters and Mu-GTech aims to bolster operational capabilities in the aerospace market by providing access to microgravity testing environments, addressing the increasing demand from government and commercial space programs.
- Flight Validation Plans: The companies plan to conduct flight validation and data collection to assess operational performance and commercial scalability, potentially allowing for longer-duration parabolas for research purposes, thereby enhancing the quality of reduced-gravity environments.
- Market Response: This partnership responds to NASA's 'Sources Sought' notice, indicating Starfighters' proactive engagement in technology development and further expanding its service offerings in the microgravity research sector.
- Stock Performance Analysis: Starfighters' shares are currently priced at $7.58, trading 16.6% above the 20-day simple moving average but 8.3% below the 50-day average, reflecting mixed short-term momentum in the market.
See More
BETA Technologies Reports Disappointing Q4 Results
- Earnings Miss: BETA Technologies reported a Q4 loss of $2.02 per share, significantly worse than the analyst consensus estimate of a loss of $0.84, indicating substantial challenges in profitability that could undermine investor confidence.
- Sales Beat: Despite the significant losses, the company achieved quarterly sales of $11.133 million, surpassing the analyst consensus of $7.859 million, suggesting some resilience in market demand that could lay the groundwork for future growth.
- Stock Reaction: In pre-market trading, BETA's shares fell 3.1% to $18.67, reflecting a negative investor response to the earnings report, which may lead to increased liquidity pressure in the short term.
- Market Sentiment: The overall market sentiment is bearish, with Dow futures down over 1%, indicating investor concerns about the economic outlook, which could further impact BETA Technologies and other related stocks.
See More
U.S. Stock Futures Plunge Amid Rising Energy Costs
- Surge in Energy Prices: Brent crude oil prices spiked 14.90% to $106.50 per barrel, while WTI rose 13.27% to $102.96, both nearing their 52-week highs, triggering market panic and negatively impacting stock futures.
- Poor Market Performance: The Dow Jones fell 1.61%, the S&P 500 dropped 1.41%, and the Nasdaq 100 decreased by 1.56%, reflecting investor concerns about economic prospects, particularly amid escalating conflicts in the Middle East.
- Disappointing Economic Data: The U.S. economy lost 92,000 jobs in February, with the unemployment rate rising to 4.4%, indicating a risk of “stagflation” that exacerbates market uncertainty and fragility.
- Fed Policy Expectations: The CME Group's FedWatch tool indicates a 97.3% likelihood that the Federal Reserve will keep interest rates unchanged in March, reflecting investor worries about slowing economic growth.
See More
Starfighters Space Inc. Shares Decline Amid Rising Fuel Costs
- Fuel Cost Impact: Starfighters Space Inc. shares dropped nearly 5% in Sunday overnight trading as escalating Middle East conflicts raised concerns, stalling momentum from a 16.64% surge on Friday, reflecting investor anxiety over the economic implications of a prolonged U.S.-Iran conflict.
- Aviation Sector Vulnerability: Rothschild & Co Redburn highlighted that the Middle East conflict poses a significant obstacle for airline carriers, with analyst James Goodall noting that every 10-cent increase per gallon could lead to a nearly 25% decline in earnings per share, impacting operational profitability across the sector.
- Leadership Transition: The departure of CEO Rick Svetkoff on February 23, 2026, and the appointment of Tim Franta, a veteran with over 20 years of experience, may create a turbulent environment for shareholders, as the exit of a visionary founder shortly after an IPO often leads to market uncertainty.
- Future Outlook: Despite a 4.88% drop to $7.40, the company remains focused on its STARLAUNCH system, and while the stock is down 33.22% year-to-date, it closed higher on Friday at $7.78, indicating some resilience in the market amidst ongoing challenges.
See More
Congress Approves $839 Billion Defense Budget for 2026
- Defense Budget Increase: Congress approved an $839 billion defense budget for 2026, which is $8 billion more than requested by the Department of Defense, with significant funding allocated for space, missile defense, and advanced aerospace systems, likely boosting growth for related companies.
- Hypersonic Defense Investment: The Pentagon's $152 billion spending plan allocates $2.2 billion specifically to accelerate hypersonic defense systems and $5.6 billion for space-based interceptors, indicating a strong commitment to advancing future defense technologies.
- Starfighters Expansion Plan: Starfighters Space is expanding operations at Midland International Air & Space Port, currently housing four F-104 aircraft and 14 GE J-79 engines, with plans to double this number within 18 months to enhance mission cadence and geographic flexibility.
- STARLAUNCH 1 Project Progress: Starfighters' STARLAUNCH 1 program has moved to Critical Design Review, building on successful subsonic and supersonic wind tunnel tests in Florida that demonstrated excellent separation behavior, further solidifying its leading position in aerospace testing.
See More
Shooting for the Stars: Starfighters Space's New CEO Tim Franta Outlines Vision
- Leadership Change: Tim Franta was appointed CEO of Starfighters Space on February 23, succeeding founder Rick Svetkoff, who resigned from all executive roles, marking a new chapter for the company in the rapidly evolving aerospace sector.
- Launch Capability Expansion: Franta announced plans for over 150 launches in 2026, a significant increase from just 12 launches per year 14 years ago, indicating strong growth potential in the aerospace market.
- Defense Collaboration: The company is partnering with the U.S. Air Force Research Laboratory to develop hypersonic rockets, which can travel at speeds between 5 to 25 times the speed of sound, highlighting Starfighters' critical role in national security.
- Optimistic Market Outlook: Franta compared the rapid growth of the space industry to the explosive app market in 2007, emphasizing that the upcoming SpaceX IPO is expected to have a positive impact on the entire sector, further enhancing Starfighters Space's market position.
See More
