April 27th, 2018 marked a crucial moment in time for both sides of a divided country ripped apart by civil war nearly 70 years ago. North Korea’s inherited dictator, Kim Jong-un and South Korea’s elected democratic president Moon Jae-in met in Panmunjom, a city located in both North and South Korea in an area known as the Joint Security Area (JSA). Two leaders with opposing ideals clasped hands and walked freely from one side to the other, making what once represented division, now an icon of peace. There was a declaration to end the Korean War, as well as agreements being discussed in the total denuclearization of Korea in its entirety. This was incredibly significant for not only Korea, but for the rest of the world. With two global superpowers, the United States and China played rival roles during the Korean War before signing the ceasefire that halted the fighting in 1953. Both leaders vowed to “actively pursue trilateral meetings” firstly with the United States then with China as to establish a “permanent and solid peace regime”.

                                                                             – (Photo by Korea Summit Press Pool/Getty Images)

Restoration of peace after decades of tension, not only between North and South Korea but multiple world superpowers that were pitted against one another. One would think that across all nations this newfound harmonious historic event would be celebrated. However, this is not the case for military, weapons, and defense corporations that depend on warfare to generate revenue. Let’s take a look at the top three worldwide defense contractors, Lockheed Martin Corporation, The Boeing Company, and Raytheon Company.

Lockheed Martin Corporation fell 2.5% to an estimated $92.1 billion, The Boeing Company fell 1% to $200.2 billion, and Raytheon Company dropped 3.6% to $50.8 billion with about $10.2 billion being lost by the top five defense corporations. With national feuds reaching ceasefires, the demand for such products diminishes, the companies providing the weapons, ammunition, aircraft, and tanks have a smaller market share to supply.

The following three graphs represent the past month of these three leading defense contractors.

Lockheed Martin Corporation fell 2.5% to an estimated $92.1 billion

                                                                                                                                                  -Courtesy of Yahoo Finance

The Boeing Company fell 1% to $200.2 billion

                                                                                                                                                   -Courtesy of Yahoo Finance

Raytheon Company dropped 3.6% to $50.8 billion

                                                                                                                                                       -Courtesy of Yahoo Finance