Diamonds and Dogs

10/21/19

Apple (AAPL) keeps rumbling higher. The stock is up 2% to new highs after Raymond James analyst boosted his price target to $280 from $250 while maintaining an outperform rating. The analyst said Apple plans to launch a new low-end SE model early next year that could "create a bridge" to the 5G cycle. The analyst increasingly views the 5G opportunity as a two-year cycle, with 5G representing an estimated 40% of mix in the fall 2020 cycle, growing to the vast majority in the 2021 cycle. Apple is the largest market cap company in the US with a stock up over 50% year to date. Pretty impressive.

Boeing (BA) has more problems. Boeing is down 4% near a nine-month low after falling 6% on Friday on two downgrades and new revelations that workers and employees know of problems with the 737 Max. One technical pilot involved in developing training said the flight system was "running rampant" while undergoing testing in a flight simulator. A pilot said he "basically lied" to the regulators (unknowingly) about the 737 Max. Credit Suisse and UBS downgraded the stock this morning on concerns of more delays on the MAX's return to service until possibly February 2020. The costs for the delay are also rising to a possible $3.2 billion in charges over four months on top of a $5.6 billion charge taken so far.