NEW YORK, January 2, 2026, 8:00 PM ET — Market closed
- GE Aerospace closed up 4.1% at $320.75, hitting a fresh 52-week high.
- The move outpaced aerospace peers Boeing, RTX and Honeywell in a session led by industrials.
- Traders are looking to next week’s U.S. jobs report and January inflation data for the next rates signal.
GE Aerospace shares jumped 4.13% on Friday to close at $320.75, setting a new 52-week high — the stock’s highest level in the past year — in the first trading session of 2026. 1
The outsized gain matters because GE’s move comes as investors rotate into industrial names after a choppy year-end stretch, a shift that can set early tone for risk appetite in January.
It also puts the focus back on aerospace suppliers that are seen as beneficiaries of resilient aircraft utilization and a heavy maintenance cycle, ahead of a busy month of U.S. economic data and earnings.
U.S. stocks finished mixed on Friday, with the Dow and S&P 500 ending higher while technology-heavy names capped broader gains, and industrials and utilities among the sectors that advanced. Joe Mazzola, head of trading & derivatives strategist at Charles Schwab, described the market as “buy the dip, sell the rip.” 2
GE’s rally ran alongside strength in the group: Boeing rose 4.9% to $227.77, RTX gained 2.1% to $187.25 and Honeywell added 0.4% to $195.88. GE traded between $308.69 and $321.75 on the day, after opening at $309.75, with about 4.34 million shares changing hands.
The stock’s move also marked a sharp step up from its previous close of $308.03 at the end of 2025. 3
Separately, the Federal Aviation Administration adopted an airworthiness directive — a mandatory safety order — affecting certain GE90 engine models, requiring replacement of specific high-pressure turbine disks after an investigation flagged potential material issues, according to a Federal Register notice. 4
GE Aerospace is one of the largest jet-engine makers, supplying engines and related systems for commercial and military aircraft.
A key earnings driver for engine makers is the aftermarket — the repair, spare parts and service work that follows an engine sale and tends to be steadier than new equipment demand.
GE last raised its 2025 profit forecast in October, pointing to robust aftermarket demand. 5
Before Monday’s open, investors face a tight U.S. calendar, with the monthly jobs report due January 9 and the consumer price index due January 13, alongside other data on manufacturing and services activity and labor-market conditions. The early phase of fourth-quarter earnings season also begins with major banks, including JPMorgan, reporting on January 13. 6
GE is expected to report fourth-quarter results on January 22 before the market opens, according to Yahoo Finance’s earnings calendar. Investors will be watching for any signals on 2026 engine delivery pacing, service growth and free cash flow, a measure of cash generated after capital spending. 7
Technically, traders will be watching whether the stock can hold above the prior breakout area near $318 after Friday’s surge, and whether it can build on the push above $320. A pullback toward the $309–$310 zone would put the durability of the move back in focus ahead of the next set of catalysts.
