The Globe and Mail reports in its Wednesday edition that the Trump administration is considering taking stakes in defence contractors, including Lockheed Martin, U.S. Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick said on Tuesday as he defended President Donald Trump's push for a greater government role in American business. A Reuters dispatch to The Globe quotes Mr. Lutnick telling CNBC, "They're thinking about it," citing Pentagon leaders, when asked if the administration was considering taking pieces of contractors such as Lockheed Martin, Boeing or Palantir Technologies. "There's a lot of talking that needs to be had about how do we finance our munitions acquisitions. There's a monstrous discussion about defence. Lockheed Martin makes 97 per cent of their revenue from the U.S. government. They are basically an arm of the U.S. government," he added. Lockheed Martin, whose shares rose 1.6 per cent after the remarks, said, "We are continuing our strong working relationship with President Trump and his Administration to strengthen our national defence." Boeing declined to comment, while Palantir did not respond to a request for comment. Boeing stock was up 2.8 per cent and Palantir was up 1.4 per cent in midday trading.