A stronger middle-income consumer base has contributed to rising discretionary spending globally, fueling a potential growth opportunity in the transportation segment, namely the airline industry.
On the upcoming webcast (available for CE Credit), Your One-Way Ticket to Investing in Major Airlines, Frank Holmes, CEO and Chief Investment Officer of U.S. Global Investors, will dive into the airline industry, explore strengthening fundamentals, and consider ways for advisors to diversify using an airline sector strategy.
Specifically, investors can look to the U.S. Global Jets ETF (NYSEArca: JETS), the lone ETF dedicated to airline stocks, to access the growth opportunity. JETS follows the U.S. Global Jets Index, which uses fundamental screens to select airline companies, with an emphasis on domestic carriers, along with global aircraft manufacturers and airport companies.
According to the International Air Transport Association (IATA), global passenger traffic data revealed demand measured in total revenue passenger kilometers increased 6.4% in August year-over-year and was slightly higher than the 6.1% annual pace for July, TTR Weekly reports.
Additionally, August capacity rose by 5.5% and load factor was 0.7 percentage points higher to 85.3%, the highest level for any month since at least 1990.
“The industry experienced continued strong traffic growth in August, putting the cap on a very good peak travel season. The all-time record load factor reflects that airlines are maximizing the efficiency of their assets at a time of rising fuel prices and other costs that are limiting the opportunities for low fare stimulation,” IATA’s director general and CEO, Alexandre de Juniac, said.
Among North American airliners, international demand was 3.7% higher compared to August a year ago. While demand slowed from a 4.1% recorded in July, the recent growth largely reflected developments a year ago rather than any change in the current trend.
However, Delta Air Lines (DAL) stock and other airline companies hit some turbulence after the carrier lowered expectations on third-quarter profits and unit revenue, warning that Hurricane Florence had cut into the key industry metric, Investor’s Business Daily reported.
Financial advisors who are interested in learning more about the airline industry can register for the upcoming webcast on Thursday, October 4 here.