Palantir, Northrop Shine Despite Market Mayhem, But Will Elon Musk's DOGE Rain On The Defense Rally?

Defense and aerospace stocks have emerged as a bright spot amid turbulent and chaotic broader market conditions, with the iShares U.S. Aerospace & Defense ETF (BATS: ITA) up 5.7% year-to-date and the VanEck Defense UCITS ETF (LON: DFNG) up 16%, while the S&P 500 and the Nasdaq have declined 4% and 10%, respectively, during the same period.