Share prices in world’s leading arms manufacturers have rocketed since Donald Trump swept to power
The Republican billionaire has pledged to 'rebuild the depleted US military'
SHARE prices in the world's leading arms manufacturers have soared since Donald Trump swept to a stunning victory in the US presidential elections.
Investment in giant BAE Systems - whose products include fighters jets, combat ships and missiles - rocketed to a record high on the back of the news.
Britain's largest weapons manufacturer - with an annual rvenue of of the company's £18bn - does 40 per cent of its business in the US.
The shares, which are listed on the London Stock Exchange, rose by 6.75 percent they day after the election on November 9 to reach £5.85 per share.
By close of day Friday they had reached £5.93.
Meanwhile, the share prices of four of the major US arms companies - all listed on the New York Stock Exchange – have also climbed rapidly .
Shares in missile-maker Raytheon have risen 7.40 percent to $146.04, while Lockheed Martin - maker of the fifth-generation F-35 stealth fighter jet - rose by nearly seven percent to $264.30.
Related Stories
The Republican billionaire pledged during his presidential campaign to 'rebuild' the 'depleted' US military and remove the cap on overall budgets.
He has also been very vocal in vowing to join forces with Russia to fight ISIS and rebels inside Syria.
Cruise missiles, particularly the Tomahawk manufactured and sold by Raytheon for around £400,000, have been used extensively by the US military in its campaign against ISIS in Syria and their use now only looks set to increase further.
Industry traders have also speculated that the boost to arms companies' share prices has been facilitated by Trump's campaign pledge - which panicked doomsday preppers - to hold more NATO members to commitments to spend two percent of their GDP on defence.
Only five of NATO's 28 member-states reportedly meet this pledge at present.
BAE Systems is involved in building an array of equipment and weaponry around the world, from vehicles to ships, fighter jets and missiles.
They are constructing the UK's new aircraft carriers as well as Type 26 Frigate combat ships.