No other company has received as much attention in recent years as Boeing. The only thing is that most of the talks have been for negative reasons: production problems and safety issues. Even so, a streak of bad news cannot last forever, especially for a company as strategically crucial to the United States as Boeing.

Things seemed to have started to change when Donald Trump returned to the White House. Boeing received a steady stream of new orders as part of the trade war negotiations. For instance, its commercial aircraft division recorded 455 net orders in the quarter, a sharp increase from 130 in the first quarter.

There was also talk that US prosecutors might drop criminal charges against aerospace giant Boeing related to two accidents in 2018 and 2019. And, sure enough, at the end of May, the Department of Justice agreed to drop the charges. Instead of pleading guilty, Boeing would have to pay a reduced fine of about $1.2 billion.

No wonder investor interest in the company has rebounded: in the last three months, Boeing shares have risen more than 20%, despite the tragic accident involving Air India's 787 Dreamliner in June. But now there is another setback: for the first time since 1996, Boeing workers in St. Louis, Missouri, have gone on strike.

The strike, in particular, affects the company's defense unit, and the disruption could impact the production of key defense products such as the F/A-18 Super Hornet and the F-15EX. That unit accounted for about 30% of Boeing's $42 billion in revenue in the first half 2025. Shares faltered on Monday but recovered on Tuesday.

Thus, Boeing shares continue to outperform both the S&P 500 and Nasdaq, rising 25% over the past six months, compared to gains of only 5% and 7%, respectively. As for whether that momentum will continue, the company's second-quarter results suggest it may be beginning to rise from the ashes.

Revenue rose 35% year-on-year, and adjusted EBITDA stood at $27 million, a considerable improvement on the $649 million loss recorded a year ago. Although the company is still posting net losses per share, these have been significantly reduced. That said, Boeing still has cause for concern.

Among them is the challenge of increasing production sustainably and avoiding new crises. Much will also depend on the outcome of trade negotiations, particularly with the EU and China. If definitive agreements are not reached and tensions escalate, Boeing could be caught in the crossfire again.