New Battleships In The Spotlight

Listen on the go! A daily podcast of Wall Street Breakfast will be available by 8:00 a.m. on Seeking Alpha, iTunes, Spotify. Getty Images Good morning! Here is the latest in trending: First-mover advantage: Novo Nordisk ( NVO ) is on the rise after the FDA approved its Wegovy pill , the first oral GLP-1 therapy for obesity. Eye on China: Nvidia ( NVDA ) is reportedly aiming to start shipping its H200 GPUs to China by mid-February, subject to government approval. Another setback: The U.S. government suspended leases for five offshore wind projects under construction, citing national security considerations. Golden Fleet President Donald Trump is moving ahead with his "Golden Fleet" vision, aimed at countering China's dominance in shipbuilding and reviving domestic production. He also plans to compel defense contractors to prioritize speedier weapons production over shareholder payouts, as they have received substantial government funding. Big plans: Trump unveiled plans for new "Trump-class" battleships , which will be "the fastest, the biggest, and by far, 100 times more powerful than any battleship ever built," he declared. The first ship will be the USS Defiant, whose construction will begin "almost immediately," Trump said. The Navy said the new battleships would be triple the size of an Arleigh Burke-class destroyer, and will be the first-ever guided missile battleship with the ability to deploy with nuclear and hypersonic missiles. Construction of two Trump-class ships has been approved, and the fleet could go up to as many as 25, though production timelines remain unclear. Dig deeper: The announcement follows the Navy's decision to commission a new class of frigates to be built by Huntington Ingalls Industries ( HII ), which will be part of the Golden Fleet. That program is intended to help address a shortfall in surface combatants, which officials say is roughly one-third below required levels. To note, the U.S. has not built a battleship since World War II, having shifted decades ago toward aircraft carriers and missile-equipped destroyers. "We're desperately in need of ships," Trump said. "Some of them have gotten old and tired and obsolete." Recall that a frigate program championed during Trump's first term was scaled back after delays and cost overruns. Prioritizing speed: Next week, Trump will push defense contractors to reinvest profits in manufacturing capacity and new facilities rather than spending them on dividends, stock repurchases or outsized pay packages. "We'll be discussing the pay to executives, where they’re making $45 and $50 million a year and not being able to build quickly," he noted. The White House is reportedly considering an executive order that would limit buybacks and dividends at major defense firms, while tying executive pay more closely to performance in delivering key weapons systems. How enforceable such an order would be remains uncertain and would mark a rare level of federal involvement in corporate governance. ( 117 comments ) Here's the latest Seeking Alpha analysis 3 Best Cannabis Stocks: Will They Fly High Again Post Trump Schedule III? A Different Market Is Coming...

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