With 400 new 737 MAX planes waiting delivery, Boeing finally pushes the pause button on Dec. 16, 2019 and delays further production of the ill-fated plane after inventories reached $73 billion and debts $25 billion

Rather than draw the line below a technically questionable upgrade of a 50-year old design (the first 737 was produced in 1967), Boeing's management gave the uncomfortable impression of playing for time 

While the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) may ultimately be satisfied by the technical tweaks implemented by Boeing, foreign agencies in China and in Europe will follow their own agendas and delay flight authorization still further - to say nothing of the public's reluctance to fly the MAX

Boeing's options are limited and hard to envision - the 737 is the company's most popular plane with 4000 orders on the books and development of the next-generation aircraft remains a medium term endeavor

Subcontractors will be affected as the production halt reverberates across the supply chain, the entire American economy and the country's trade balance