Boeing may be on the verge of getting a massive order from China as a byproduct of President Donald Trump ‘s push for a broad trade deal between Washington and Beijing. This was exactly why we initiated a position in the U.S. aircraft maker earlier this month. Jim Cramer has been saying for months now that countries looking to reduce trade deficits with the U.S. can buy Boeing planes. And, they have been. The news Shares on Tuesday gained more than 1% on reports that the U.S. and China are in the final stages of negotiations for a massive order of Boeing jets. That’s according to an update from a group of U.S. lawmakers and officials who made a rare appearance in Beijing this week. Boeing stock has gained 22% year to date. The two sides appear to be in the “last days” of a weekslong negotiation, David Perdue, U.S. ambassador to China, said at a press conference Tuesday. “We’re hopeful that that will turn out to be the case.” “This is a huge order, and it’s very important to the president. Very important for Boeing. I think it’s very important to China,” said Rep. Adam Smith, a Democrat from Washington state, where Boeing has a major manufacturing presence. “It’s been a while since Boeing airplanes have been sold here in China. We’d like to get that deal done,” added Smith, who is leading the bipartisan U.S. delegation. While neither Perdue nor Smith indicated the size of a potential deal or how much it could be worth to Boeing, Bloomberg reported last month that China was looking to buy as many as 500 jets. This would be the first time China and Boeing did business together since Trump’s first term in office. BA YTD mountain Boeing YTD The promise of a Boeing deal with China comes as the U.S. and the world’s second-largest economy continue trade negotiations, which kicked off after April 2 when Trump announced his initial “Liberation Day” tariffs. The Trump administration threatened China with an eye-popping 145% tariff rate, but most of those higher levies were paused as trade discussions progressed. As it stands, the so-called reciprocal tariffs are set to take effect in November. So, the clock is ticking. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent told CNBC last week that a trade deal with China is likely before the November deadline. “Each one of those talks has become more and more productive,” Bessent said. “I think the Chinese now sense that a trade deal is possible.” That’s not the only development pushing Boeing stock higher. Bloomberg reported Tuesday that Turkey plans to purchase hundreds of Boeing airliners and Lockheed Martin jets. The news comes ahead of a meeting at the White House later this week between Trump and the president of Turkey. Meanwhile, Boeing announced Monday that it would sell its 787 Dreamliners to Uzbekistan Airways in an $8 billion deal. Big picture Boeing has become a recurring symbol in Trump’s mission to upend the global trading environment. Countries continue to strike deals with U.S. companies that include large orders of Boeing jets. During the president’s visit to the Middle East in May, Qatar Airways placed an order for up to 210 widebody aircraft, including 130 Dreamliners. The United Arab Emirates placed orders for 28 wide-body aircraft, too. In July, Japan said it would buy 100 Boeing jets under its trade agreement with the United States. A month later, Korean Air announced a $50 billion order for 103 Boeing airplanes with GE Aerospace engines. Indonesia, Cambodia, and Malaysia have each recently included Boeing orders in their trade deals, too. Bottom line The progress toward securing a Boeing order from China was another sign that the Club made the right choice by investing in Boeing. “We continue to like the Boeing story here, especially on the recent developments.” Jeff Marks, director of portfolio analysis for the Club, said during Tuesday’s Morning Meeting. After starting our Boeing position on Sept. 8 with 160 shares priced just above $231, we bought 80 more shares four days later and 110 more last Friday. Both subsequent purchases were at lower prices as we aimed to bulk up the position while lowering our average cost basis. “Regardless of how you feel about the president’s trade agenda, it’s been phenomenal for Boeing, with some huge aircraft orders coming from the Middle East, Korea, and the U.K., and the potential of a massive deal still to come from China, assuming those trade talks don’t fall apart,” Jim said during “Mad Money” on Monday. He continued, “The bottom line? Put it all together, and I think Boeing’s simply become too good to ignore, especially after the stock’s recent pullback.” “That’s why we pounced on it for the Charitable Trust and why you’ve got my blessing to buy it for your own portfolio,” Jim told “Mad Money” viewers. It may seem counterintuitive — but when building a position, we like to do it slowly and at lower and lower prices. That allows us to reap more upside, which we believe will be the case with Boeing. It’s kind of like, if you like a shirt in the store at the full retail price, you love it even more on the sale rack. The Club has a buy-equivalent 1 rating on Boeing stock. Our price target is $275 per share, which represents roughly 28% upside to current levels of about $215. The stock holdings in Jim’s Trust are what we use as the CNBC Investing Club portfolio. (Jim Cramer’s Charitable Trust is long BA. See here for a full list of the stocks.) As a subscriber to the CNBC Investing Club with Jim Cramer, you will receive a trade alert before Jim makes a trade. Jim waits 45 minutes after sending a trade alert before buying or selling a stock in his charitable trust’s portfolio. If Jim has talked about a stock on CNBC TV, he waits 72 hours after issuing the trade alert before executing the trade. THE ABOVE INVESTING CLUB INFORMATION IS SUBJECT TO OUR TERMS AND CONDITIONS AND PRIVACY POLICY , TOGETHER WITH OUR DISCLAIMER . NO FIDUCIARY OBLIGATION OR DUTY EXISTS, OR IS CREATED, BY VIRTUE OF YOUR RECEIPT OF ANY INFORMATION PROVIDED IN CONNECTION WITH THE INVESTING CLUB. NO SPECIFIC OUTCOME OR PROFIT IS GUARANTEED.
