NEW YORK, December 29, 2025, 01:20 ET — Market closed.
- RTX shares last closed down $1.22, or 0.7%, at $185.17; Lockheed Martin and Northrop Grumman also fell.
- Investors head into the final trading days of 2025 focused on Fed minutes and year-end portfolio moves that can amplify swings in light volume.
- Monday’s U.S. calendar includes advance trade data and pending home sales, which can move rates-sensitive industrial shares.
RTX Corp shares ended the last session lower, closing at $185.17 on Friday. The defense and aerospace contractor tracked declines across large defense names.
The setup matters now because the final week of the year often brings thin trading and portfolio rebalancing, which can exaggerate moves even when company news is quiet. Investors have also kept a tight watch on interest-rate expectations heading into 2026.
Geopolitics is also back on screens. China staged live-fire drills around Taiwan on Monday, a reminder that unexpected headlines can quickly reshape sentiment toward defense contractors.
U.S. stocks ended Friday little changed, with the S&P 500 down 0.03% and the Nasdaq off 0.05% after the benchmark’s prior record close. The Dow slipped 0.04%.
Traders are also watching for a so-called “Santa Claus rally,” a seasonal pattern that refers to gains in the last five trading sessions of the year and the first two of the next. Reuters
“Handicapping how many rate cuts we’re going to get next year is a big thing markets are focused on right now,” Michael Reynolds, vice president of investment strategy at Glenmede, wrote in a note cited by Reuters. Reuters
The Federal Reserve has cut rates by 75 basis points over its past three meetings, and investors are waiting for minutes from its December meeting for more detail on how officials see the path ahead.
RTX’s defense peers also finished the last session down, with Lockheed Martin off 0.6%, Northrop Grumman down 0.9% and General Dynamics down 0.9%.
RTX spans missiles and air defense systems at Raytheon, jet engines at Pratt & Whitney and aerospace systems at Collins Aerospace, leaving the shares exposed to both defense demand and the interest-rate backdrop that shapes valuations across industrials.
RTX is expected to report quarterly results on Jan. 27, according to Nasdaq data. Investors will be looking for updates on demand trends and the company’s outlook heading into 2026.
Before the next session, traders will scan Monday’s U.S. data calendar for advance international trade in goods at 8:30 a.m. ET and the National Association of Realtors’ pending home sales index at 10:00 a.m., the New York Fed’s economic indicators calendar showed.
A Dallas Fed manufacturing survey is due at 10:30 a.m., while year-end positioning can keep price action jumpy when volumes are light.
Beyond Monday, investors are looking to the Fed’s meeting minutes due on Tuesday and to upcoming labor data. The U.S. employment report for December is scheduled for Jan. 9, the Bureau of Labor Statistics said.
On the chart, RTX traded between $184.57 and $187.40 in the last session. Traders will watch whether the stock holds above $185 or breaks Friday’s range when markets reopen.
