Boeing's impressive earnings beat in the first quarter reflects the performance of an enterprise that is firing on all cylinders. As chance would have it, I participated in a meeting with Boeing Chairman and CEO Dennis Muilenburg only hours after his Wednesday earnings call, and was able to put some questions to him about the company's long-term strategy (Boeing is a contributor to my think tank). Muilenburg's long-term strategy is aimed at assuring that Boeing will never again have to deal with that kind of cyclicality. For example, demand for airliners tanked after 9-11, but military spending skyrocketed. Thus by remaining committed to the defense business, Boeing is able to take the edge off of any cyclicality in commercial markets.

Source: Forbes April 26, 2018 14:15 UTC