Key Takeaways DAL posted better-than-expected Q2 earnings and revenues, though earnings fell year over year. Labor costs jumped 10% in Q2 due to higher wages from a 2023 pilot contract. A 13% drop in fuel expenses helped offset rising costs, aided by falling oil prices in the June quarter.Delta Air Lines (DAL) reported better-than-expected earnings per share and revenues in the second quarter of 2025, results of which were unveiled yesterday. However, the bottom line declined substantially year over year ...

Consumer discretionary is the worst sector of the year. Some of the biggest losers are retail names like Deckers, Lululemon, Ross Stores. Is the sector though prime for a rebound in the second half.Joining us now is Dana Telsey, Telsey Advisory Group CEO. Dana, good to see you. There's good to see you too.Thank you for having me. Yeah, it's good good to have you. Especially because there's such a mix of data.We were just talking about this labor report. Overall, great. the market's up, but underneath the su ...

Industry Overview - The Zacks Airline industry is involved in transporting passengers and cargo globally, with operators maintaining a fleet of mainline jets and regional planes [3] - The industry includes both legacy carriers and low-cost airlines, and its performance is closely tied to the overall economy [3] - Air travel demand has improved significantly from pandemic lows, indicating a recovery trend [3] Current Market Conditions - The gradual de-escalation of the Israel-Iran conflict has led to a decline in oil prices, positively impacting airline fuel costs [1][9] - The average jet fuel cost is projected to decrease to $86 per barrel in 2025 from $99 per barrel in 2024, contributing to a lower total fuel bill of $236 billion in 2025 compared to $261 billion in 2024 [8] - Despite low fuel costs, airlines are facing increased labor costs due to a post-COVID-19 labor shortage, which is affecting their bottom-line growth [10] Financial Performance and Projections - The International Air Transport Association (IATA) forecasts total airline revenues to reach $979 billion in 2025, with passenger revenues expected to hit $693 billion, marking a 1.6% increase from 2024 [4] - A record 4.99 billion passengers are anticipated to travel globally in 2025, representing a 4% increase from 2024 [4] - The Zacks Airline industry has outperformed the S&P 500, returning 22.7% over the past year compared to the S&P 500's 9.6% rise [14] Shareholder Returns - Airlines are increasingly returning cash to shareholders through dividends and buybacks, reflecting financial strength and confidence [5] - Delta Air Lines has approved a 25% dividend hike, raising its quarterly cash dividend to $0.75 from $0.60, to be paid on August 21, 2025 [6][7] Investment Opportunities - LATAM Airlines is experiencing strong air travel demand, with a 3.6% increase in passengers in Q1 2025 compared to the same period in 2024, and a 28.8% upward revision in earnings estimates [22] - Copa Holdings is benefiting from regional economic expansion and has consistently beaten earnings estimates, with upward revisions of 6.3% and 4.5% for current and next-year earnings, respectively [26][27] - SkyWest has gained 7.5% over the past three months, with a 3.5% upward revision in earnings estimates for 2025 [31]

Economic Indicators - Initial Jobless Claims were reported at 228K, slightly below the estimated 230K, marking a decrease of 13K from the previous week's revised figure of 241K, indicating stability in the labor market [2] - Continuing Claims reached 1.879 million, consistent with trends over the past six months, although the previous week reported 1.916 million, the first print above 1.9 million since November 2021 [3][4] - Q1 U.S. Productivity showed a negative growth of -0.8%, which was 10 basis points lower than expected, following a +1.5% in Q4 2024, marking the first negative print since Q2 2022 [5] - Unit Labor Costs increased by 5.7%, exceeding the expected 5.1%, the highest level since Q3 2020, indicating potential economic challenges [6] Company Earnings - Shopify (SHOP) reported Q1 earnings of 25 cents per share, missing consensus by a penny, while revenues of $2.36 billion exceeded expectations by 1.32%, but shares fell by 7% [7] - ConocoPhillips (COP) surpassed earnings estimates with $2.09 per share, exceeding consensus by 3 cents, and reported revenues of $17.1 billion, outperforming by 3.37% compared to the previous year [8] - Crocs (CROX) reported earnings of $3.00 per share, beating expectations by 19.5%, and revenues of $937.3 million, slightly below year-ago levels, with shares up 4.7% in pre-market trading [9]

Market Overview - Pre-market futures indicate a positive market sentiment with the Dow up 300 points, S&P 500 up 50 points, Nasdaq up 250 points, and Russell 2000 up 25 points, despite less favorable economic reports [1] Employment Data - Initial Jobless Claims were reported at 228K, slightly below the estimated 230K, marking a decrease of 13K from the previous week's revised figure of 241K, indicating stability in the labor market [2] - Continuing Claims reached 1.879 million, consistent with trends over the past six months, although the previous week reported 1.916 million, the first print above 1.9 million since November 2021 [3][4] Productivity and Labor Costs - Q1 U.S. Productivity showed a negative growth of -0.8%, which is 10 basis points lower than expectations, following a +1.5% growth in Q4 2024, marking the first negative print since Q2 2022 [5] - Unit Labor Costs increased by 5.7%, exceeding the expected 5.1%, the highest level since Q3 2020, indicating potential challenges for economic growth [6] Company Earnings Reports - Shopify (SHOP) reported Q1 earnings of $0.25 per share, missing consensus by a penny, while revenues of $2.36 billion exceeded expectations by 1.32%, but shares fell by 7% [7] - ConocoPhillips (COP) surpassed earnings estimates with $2.09 per share and revenues of $17.1 billion, outperforming the previous year's $14.48 billion, leading to a 1.6% increase in shares [8] - Crocs (CROX) reported earnings of $3.00 per share, exceeding expectations by 19.5%, with revenues of $937.3 million slightly below year-ago levels, resulting in a 4.7% increase in shares [9]