Service inflation surges and why drones beat tanks
Published . Updated .
Key takeaways
Market Call
Think this story will push the stock up or down over the next three trading days? Make a free call and see what other readers think. Points are play money with no cash value.
Get these market calls by email
The week's biggest market-moving stories, Congress trades and Trump posts, with the tickers they touch. Free, one email a week.
Free. We only use your email to send the digest, never sell or share it, and every email has a one-click unsubscribe link. See our privacy policy.
Business Today: The best news, analysis and comment from The Irish Times business desk
Directly affected
- No company is named in this report.
Indirectly affected
- ITA iShares U.S. Aerospace & Defense ETF+1.1% 30d
iShares U.S. Aerospace & Defense ETF: it holds defense and aerospace contractors. Linked by “drones” (defense) in this story.
- XAR SPDR S&P Aerospace & Defense ETF-4.4% 30d
SPDR S&P Aerospace & Defense ETF: it holds defense and aerospace contractors. Linked by “drones” (defense) in this story.
- VGK Vanguard FTSE Europe ETF
Vanguard FTSE Europe ETF holds stocks listed in Europe, which this story is about (“irish”).
- BWX SPDR Bloomberg International Treasury Bond ETF
SPDR Bloomberg International Treasury Bond ETF holds government bonds outside the US, which react to inflation and interest-rate news like this one in Europe
- EFA iShares MSCI EAFE ETF-1.5% 9d
iShares MSCI EAFE ETF is a broad fund of developed-market stocks that includes Europe
Price reaction, T-5 to T+3
| Ticker | T-5 | T-3 | T-1 | T0 | T+1 | T+2 | T+3 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ITA | -4.02% | -3.08% | base | after close | after close | after close | after close |
| XAR | -3.84% | -2.83% | base | after close | after close | after close | after close |
| VGK | -0.30% | -0.05% | base | after close | after close | after close | after close |
| BWX | +0.16% | +0.49% | base | after close | after close | after close | after close |
| EFA | +0.59% | +0.25% | base | after close | after close | after close | after close |
Closing-price change versus T-1, the last close before the story. T0 to T+3 fill in after each market close. Prices: Alpaca IEX.
Service inflation surges and why drones beat tanks The Irish Times
Source: The Irish Times
The price since 4 Nov 2026: IShares U.S. Aerospace & Defense ETF (ITA) versus the S&P 500
| Company | When | Move | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| BWX | three days earlier | +0.49% | final price |
| BWX | five days earlier | +0.16% | final price |
| EFA | three days earlier | +0.25% | final price |
| EFA | five days earlier | +0.59% | final price |
| IShares U.S. Aerospace & Defense ETF (ITA) | three days earlier | -3.08% | final price |
| IShares U.S. Aerospace & Defense ETF (ITA) | five days earlier | -4.02% | final price |
| VGK | three days earlier | -0.05% | final price |
| VGK | five days earlier | -0.30% | final price |
| Spdr Series Trust (XAR) | three days earlier | -2.83% | final price |
| Spdr Series Trust (XAR) | five days earlier | -3.84% | final price |
Congressional trades in the stocks in this story
- Sen. John Boozman sold EFA (jointly held), worth $1,001 - $15,000 on 9 Sep 2026. That is 56 days before publication. Filed 21 Oct 2026. View the filing.
- Rep. Pete Sessions sold Walmart (WMT) (held by a spouse), worth $50,001 - $100,000 on 2 Oct 2026. That is 33 days before publication. Filed 27 Oct 2026. View the filing.
- Rep. Jonathan Jackson sold Walmart (WMT) (jointly held), worth $50,001 - $100,000 on 28 Sep 2026. That is 37 days before publication. Filed 19 Oct 2026. View the filing.
- Rep. Rohit Khanna bought Walmart (WMT) (held by a spouse), worth $1,001 - $15,000 on 25 Sep 2026. That is 40 days before publication. Filed 7 Oct 2026. View the filing.
- Rep. Pete Sessions sold Costco Wholesale (COST), worth $100,001 - $250,000 on 13 Oct 2026. That is 22 days before publication. Filed 27 Oct 2026. View the filing.
- Rep. Pete Sessions sold Costco Wholesale (COST) (held by a spouse), worth $250,001 - $500,000 on 2 Oct 2026. That is 33 days before publication. Filed 27 Oct 2026. View the filing.
- Rep. Rohit Khanna bought Costco Wholesale (COST) (held by a spouse), worth $1,001 - $15,000 on 25 Sep 2026. That is 40 days before publication. Filed 7 Oct 2026. View the filing.
- Rep. David J. Taylor sold Procter & Gamble (PG), worth $1,001 - $15,000 on 12 Oct 2026. That is 23 days before publication. Filed 15 Oct 2026. View the filing.
- Rep. Pete Sessions sold Procter & Gamble (PG), worth $1,001 - $15,000 on 8 Oct 2026. That is 27 days before publication. Filed 27 Oct 2026. View the filing.
- Rep. Rohit Khanna bought Procter & Gamble (PG) (held by a spouse), worth $1,001 - $15,000 on 25 Sep 2026. That is 40 days before publication. Filed 7 Oct 2026. View the filing.
- Rep. Kevin Hern bought Coca Cola (KO) (jointly held), worth $1,001 - $15,000 on 31 Aug 2026. That is 65 days before publication. Filed 25 Sep 2026. View the filing.
Public disclosure filings, not a recommendation. The filing link is the source document. News use of these reports still sits under 5 U.S.C. § 13107(c).
IShares U.S. Aerospace & Defense ETF (ITA) on one side of this defense story
Companies tied to this story
- ITA IShares U.S. Aerospace & Defense ETF
IShares U.S. Aerospace & Defense ETF (ITA) is linked, with no stored direction, medium confidence in the 4 Nov 2026 story “Service inflation surges and why drones beat tanks.” Reason on file: iShares U.S. Aerospace & Defense ETF: it holds defense and aerospace contractors. Linked by “drones” (defense) in this story
- XAR Spdr Series Trust
For “Service inflation surges and why drones beat tanks,” Spdr Series Trust (XAR) is linked, with no stored direction, medium confidence. Reason on file: SPDR S&P Aerospace & Defense ETF: it holds defense and aerospace contractors. Linked by “drones” (defense) in this story
- TIP Ishares Tr
In “Service inflation surges and why drones beat tanks,” Ishares Tr (TIP) is linked, with no stored direction, medium confidence. Reason on file: iShares TIPS Bond ETF: it is a common hedge when prices rise. Linked by “inflation” (inflation and prices) in this story
- WMT Walmart
Walmart (WMT) is linked, with no stored direction, medium confidence in the 4 Nov 2026 story “Service inflation surges and why drones beat tanks.” Reason on file: Walmart (variety stores): big consumer-goods sellers feel price rises in costs and shopper demand. Linked by “inflation” (inflation and prices) in this story
- COST Costco Wholesale
Costco Wholesale (COST) is linked, with no stored direction, medium confidence in the 4 Nov 2026 story “Service inflation surges and why drones beat tanks.” Reason on file: Costco Wholesale (variety stores): big consumer-goods sellers feel price rises in costs and shopper demand. Linked by “inflation” (inflation and prices) in this story
- PG Procter & Gamble
Procter & Gamble (PG) is linked, with no stored direction, medium confidence in the 4 Nov 2026 story “Service inflation surges and why drones beat tanks.” Reason on file: The Procter & Gamble (soap, detergents, cleang preparations, perfumes, cosmetics): big consumer-goods sellers feel price rises in costs and shopper demand. Linked by “inflation” (inflation and prices) in this story
- KO Coca Cola
In “Service inflation surges and why drones beat tanks,” Coca Cola (KO) is linked, with no stored direction, medium confidence. Reason on file: The Coca-Cola (beverages): big consumer-goods sellers feel price rises in costs and shopper demand. Linked by “inflation” (inflation and prices) in this story
IShares U.S. Aerospace & Defense ETF (ITA) and the defense link
On 4 Nov 2026, “Service inflation surges and why drones beat tanks” is the story that connects IShares U.S. Aerospace & Defense ETF (ITA) to Defense.
IShares U.S. Aerospace & Defense ETF (ITA) is on the page because iShares U.S. Aerospace & Defense ETF: it holds defense and aerospace contractors. Linked by “drones” (defense) in this story
Spdr Series Trust (XAR) is here too. Its reason reads: SPDR S&P Aerospace & Defense ETF: it holds defense and aerospace contractors. Linked by “drones” (defense) in this story
What this defense story puts on the calendar
ITA traded between 197.59 and 218.73 across 20 sessions. The latest close on file is 216.38. TIP traded between 103.77 and 105.67 across 20 sessions. The latest close on file is 105.27. XAR traded between 210.89 and 237.55 across 20 sessions. The latest close on file is 231.04.
The defense score for IShares U.S. Aerospace & Defense ETF (ITA)
46 out of 100
“Service inflation surges and why drones beat tanks” scores 46 out of 100. The score uses 1 sources, and 7 linked companies.