Shares of Archer Aviation (NYSE: ACHR) rekindled their choppy recovery rally today, up 11.7% as of 2:33 p.m. ET. While the reason for the big move doesn't directly translate into real revenue or profit progress, it certainly makes both much more likely than was first anticipated.
Credit President Donald Trump, mostly. With an executive order signed late Friday, the U.S. president has hastened the advent of the United States' electric air taxi industry that will provide personal mobility from one specific inner-city location to another. The order explicitly requests that the Secretary of Transportation begin laying the groundwork for the development of an official eVTOL (electric vertical takeoff and landing) pilot program that includes the participation of at least one "private sector partner with demonstrated experience in eVTOL aircraft development, manufacturing, and operations."
Where to invest $1,000 right now? Our analyst team just revealed what they believe are the 10 best stocks to buy right now. Continue »
Image source: Getty Images.
Archer Aviation qualifies. Its so-called Midnight aircraft capable of flying like an airplane but taking off and landing like a helicopter is not only fully electrically powered, but has already made several hundred successful test flights. Moreover, the company itself is already laying the groundwork for commercial operations in New York and Los Angeles. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy could readily meet President Trump's accelerated timeline goals using Archer's work to date.
There's no assurance that Archer Aviation will be one of the private sector outfits brought into this regulatory fold, of course. There are others that qualify, like Joby Aviation.
There's also no reason to suspect that only one private operator will become involved in this official test initiative though. And, given that Archer is developing a version of its Midnight aircraft specifically for the U.S. Air Force, its technology also already arguably has the U.S. government's unofficial approval. And, whether or not Archer is selected for involvement with the Secretary of Transportation's new mandate, there's more than ample opportunity for more than one air taxi service provider in the U.S. alone, not to mention overseas. Industry research outfit Global Market Insights believes the world's air taxi market is poised to grow at an average annualized pace of more than 20% per year through 2032, led by North America.
More important to interested investors, Trump's executive order creates more room and reason for Archer Aviation stock to continue rallying from here. Although the start-up is still years away from profitable operations -- and as such still poses tremendous risk to its shareholders -- the potential upside is commensurate with this risk.
Before you buy stock in Archer Aviation, consider this:
The Motley Fool Stock Advisor analyst team just identified what they believe are the 10 best stocks for investors to buy now… and Archer Aviation wasn’t one of them. The 10 stocks that made the cut could produce monster returns in the coming years.
Consider when Netflix made this list on December 17, 2004... if you invested $1,000 at the time of our recommendation, you’d have $669,517!* Or when Nvidia made this list on April 15, 2005... if you invested $1,000 at the time of our recommendation, you’d have $868,615!*
Now, it’s worth noting Stock Advisor’s total average return is 792% — a market-crushing outperformance compared to 173% for the S&P 500. Don’t miss out on the latest top 10 list, available when you join Stock Advisor.
See the 10 stocks »
*Stock Advisor returns as of June 9, 2025
James Brumley has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.