Boeing posts quarterly loss

Boeing Co reported an unexpected fourth-quarter loss on Wednesday due to a strike by its assembly workers and larger-than-anticipated charges for delays on its new 747 jumbo.The plane maker and defense contractor also forecast 2009 earnings well below Wall Street estimates as it grapples with a dip in demand for its planes as airlines feel the pain of recession.Its shares fell slightly in light premarket trading to $43.02 from Tuesday's close at $43.22 on the New York Stock Exchange.Boeing, which lost out to rival Airbus in the race for plane orders last year, reported a quarterly loss of $56 million, or 8 cents per share, compared with a year-earlier profit of $1.03 billion, or $1.36 per share.