New York, March 2, 2026, 05:12 ET — Premarket
- RTX jumped roughly 6.6% in premarket, moving well ahead of the broader decline.
- Oil surges, sending investors into defensive and energy names while stock futures move lower.
- Attention turns to headlines out of the Middle East, with the U.S. ISM manufacturing survey still on deck for later Monday.
RTX Corp surged 6.6% to $215.80 in early premarket trade Monday, as investors piled into defense names following U.S. and Israeli strikes on Iran that unsettled global markets over the weekend. That’s according to data from Yahoo Finance at 5:07 a.m. ET.
This move caught attention, running counter to the wider market’s slide. U.S. stock index futures dropped over 1%, with investors bracing for a protracted conflict and higher energy bills. In the mix, defense names like RTX and Lockheed Martin attracted new buying.
Oil made the headlines overnight. Brent crude surged nearly 10% at one point, gold climbed as investors looked for safety, and the dollar firmed up. That’s a combination traders usually interpret as risk-off—definitely not a sign of bullishness on growth. “At least in the short term, the disruption to global energy supply is substantial,” said Michael Langham, emerging markets economist at Aberdeen Investments. Reuters
Shares of RTX closed Friday’s regular trading at $202.62, up 2.52%, per Investing.com historical data.
On Saturday, Israel announced it had carried out a “pre-emptive” strike against Iran, with U.S. forces also launching attacks, according to Reuters. Reuters
Trump administration officials informed congressional aides on Monday that they had no intelligence suggesting Iran planned to attack U.S. forces prior to Washington’s own operation, according to sources who spoke to Reuters.
European defense stocks climbed, with traders reacting to heightened conflict risks and a notable oil surge linked to shipping snarls near the Strait of Hormuz, according to Reuters.
RTX operates across the industrial divide, balancing missile systems and sensors for defense, while its jet engines and aerospace parts ride the turbulence of airline demand. Oil prices climb, flights get disrupted, and commercial sentiment takes a hit—even as military spending finds steadier footing.
Still, that headline tailwind for defense names can snap back quickly. A hint of de-escalation—or a wave of selling triggered by inflation worries as crude prices climb—might drag RTX down in line with its peers.
Traders, watching the conflict-fueled oil surge and wary of inflation, will turn their attention to the U.S. ISM manufacturing survey and fresh PMI figures later Monday, hunting for any signals on growth momentum.
Eyes are also on RTX’s upcoming earnings report, due April 28, per Investing.com.
