To accomplish great things, a Fool must dare to dream. For titanium investors vying to share in the dream of Boeing's
The stakes are sky-high for RTI International Metals
A steady decline in titanium prices has been hammering away at RTI's bottom line. During a period that has seen dramatic climbs in the price of most industrial metals, RTI's realized titanium price has fallen 16% from an average price of $22.23 realized during the second quarter of 2009. It may appear simplistic to attribute so much of this price weakness to a single aircraft, but when the world's largest commercial airliner is awash in production delays of such magnitude that suppliers like Spirit AeroSystems
With Boeing now pledging to deliver its first 787 aircraft during the third quarter of 2011, let's check in with industry players to see where their outlooks stand with respect to titanium demand. RTI characterized the near-term outlook as "muted," citing looming defense budget cutbacks in addition to the aforementioned oversupply in commercial aerospace. With anticipated sales to Airbus and Lockheed Martin
Rival Titanium Metals
Since I underscored the uncertain future of titanium in August, shares of both RTI International and Titanium Metals have leveled off substantially following a steep climb to cruising altitude. Competitor Allegheny Technologies
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