Airline stocks are a no-brainer long as Delta Air Lines lifts off its 10-month EMA on the monthly chart despite oil and rate pressures. x.com
Brian G
Engineer & CFA, Trend-Based Market Analysis
Valuation drove the recent sector rotation toward airline stocks. It began when semiconductors and grid stocks reached negative expected annual returns while fintech and airlines reached expected returns above 25%, against about 13% for the median global stock. Technical traders may dismiss valuation analysis, but the rotation followed it. x.com
Delta Air Lines looks extremely bullish because its pullback has been inefficient after a near-decade resistance level flipped into support on its largest buy volume since the COVID low. A $2 billion buy day was the largest since last summer, and the quarterly and monthly charts still show that heavy buying. x.com
Delta Air Lines looks cheap on forecast earnings: about 10x next year's estimated $7.89 per share versus 19x typical for airlines yields a $131.90-$167.87 fair range against $82.14. The estimate is 31% above trailing earnings; this is a levels-only screen based on reported forecasts, not fundamental diligence. x.com
Airlines' fuel-driven fare hikes are finally cracking consumer demand. TSA checkpoint traffic is firmly negative year over year, while the airline ETF is breaking down. x.com
Delta's Q3 results support a bullish view despite fuel pressure: the airline absorbed $500M in higher fuel expenses while revenue rose 32.9% year over year to $20.2B and beat estimates by $1.28B, although adjusted EPS of $1.72 missed by $0.04. x.com
Delta, United and Alaska should see margin expansion as the US-Iran deal and the lifted Hormuz naval blockade push oil lower into summer travel season. Crude fell from $92.16 on June 1 to $70.24, and fuel was 17–21% of their FY2025 opex; Alaska is the highest-beta name, with each $0.10/gallon move worth about $0.75 of EPS. Demand is at record highs and some fares are about 20% above last year. It is a high-risk macro trade, since the ceasefire is fragile and has been repeatedly violated. x.com
Airlines including United, American, Southwest and Delta face at least a year of margin pressure from oil even if the Strait of Hormuz reopens almost immediately. At current jet fuel prices their earnings would be destroyed, and fare increases to offset it would hurt volumes significantly. None of this is priced in, and American Airlines could go to zero. Per Rory Johnston, lost Gulf output will top one billion barrels over the shock, with April losses nearly offsetting the IEA reserve release. … Show more
Delta Air Lines and American Airlines look vulnerable because jet fuel supply is extremely tight. x.com
Airline stocks are a simple way to bet on the Iran war ending well, since they move inverse to oil. An airline ETF offers lower implied volatility than individual carriers, about 28-30% on 2028 options, and is down 15% this year. x.com
Airlines remain a bad industry, and their new capacity discipline looks more like a lucky accident than strategy. Someone, probably American Airlines, will start dumping capacity on routes again and push margins back to zero. Oil may rise again and consumer spending may roll over. x.com
Delta Air Lines looks set to take a major blow to its reputation from the Delta/Starlink situation, which prompts a rare bearish view on the stock. This is probably an overreaction, though, and there is no plan to actually short it. x.com x.com