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United Airlines (UAL)  shares slipped in after-hours trading as the airline posted a year-on-year drop in Q2 earnings and trimmed its full-year 2025 profit forecast, raising concerns among investors despite beating analyst expectations for the quarter. Q2 Performance Snapshot: Adjusted EPS:  $3.87 vs. $4.14 (Q2 2024) (Beats FactSet estimate of $3.81) Revenue:  $15.24 billion vs. $14.99 billion a year ago (Misses FactSet estimate of $15.36 billion) While the airline managed to grow revenue slightly, it still came in below expectations, and the earnings per share declined compared to last year. Forward Guidance: Q3 EPS Outlook:  $2.25–$2.75 (Analyst estimate: $2.58) Full-Year EPS Forecast:  Revised down to $9–$11 (Previous guidance: $11.50–$13.50 | FactSet consensus: $10.03) The downward revision in its 2025 guidance reflects headwinds including cost pressures and uncertain travel demand recovery in the second half of the year. Despite a 2.42% gain in regular trad...

The latest version of President Trump’s sweeping tax-and-spend bill has landed — and while it spares no controversy, it’s creating a new investing landscape with distinct sector implications. For equity analysts and portfolio managers, the revised legislation introduces both tailwinds and headwinds that could reprice entire industries. Winners: Position for Upside Fossil Fuels Traditional energy stocks stand to benefit significantly. Subsidies for carbon capture and relaxed royalty terms boost profitability for oil and gas firms. Watch for upside in exploration and production (E&P) players and energy infrastructure names. Semiconductor & Tech Hardware U.S. chipmakers get a lift via an expanded 35% tax credit for new domestic fabs. This could accelerate capex from Intel, Micron, and others as Washington intensifies its onshoring push. Manufacturers & Real Estate Developers Full factory expensing through 2031 and bonus depreciation for commercial properties reinforce domestic...

In technical analysis, gaps —blank spaces on price charts where a stock’s price sharply moves up or down—are viewed as significant indicators of potential price movements. These gaps, often forming at market open, provide insights into shifts in market sentiment and short-term trends. Below is a look at the top-performing stocks with the largest gaps and strategies for leveraging these movements. Thursday’s Top Gap Performers Here are the top 10 stocks with the largest gaps by percentage change ( Gap %chg ) as of Wednesday's close: American Airlines (AAL) Gap Up: +16% Catalyst: Raised Q4 profit outlook, signaling strong operational performance. Stellantis (STLA) Gap Up: Details pending, likely due to automotive sector recovery. Applied Materials (AMAT) Gap Down: Sector-wide chip sell-off affecting semiconductor stocks. Ulta Beauty (ULTA) Gap Up: +10% Catalyst: Strong earnings beat and positive holiday season guidance. Synopsys (SNPS) Gap Down: -12% Catalyst: Disappointing Q...

Following the collapse of regional carrier Rex , domestic airfares between Australia's major cities have surged, with some routes experiencing almost 100% increases . The Australian Competition & Consumer Commission (ACCC) reported a 13% average rise in fares between major cities and highlighted the reduced competition as Qantas, Jetstar, and Virgin Australia now carry 98% of domestic passengers. This has limited choice for travelers, with fewer incentives for airlines to lower fares or improve reliability. One of the most significant fare hikes was for the Adelaide-Melbourne route , where "best discount economy" fares rose 95% to A$296 , and Melbourne-Gold Coast fares increased by 70% to A$432 . Qantas responded to the ACCC report by saying the data only reflects a snapshot of the lowest fares available three weeks before travel, suggesting these fares may not represent what most customers pay. They attributed higher prices partially to high demand around event...

IndiGo , operated by InterGlobe Aviation Ltd , has received the green light from India’s market regulator to launch a venture capital fund aimed at supporting the country's aviation and travel industry . The fund, named IndiGo Ventures , is expected to begin investing by the end of the financial year ending March 31, 2025. IndiGo’s venture fund will target pre-series A, series A, and series B funding rounds for consumer-focused startups in sectors related to aviation, travel, lifestyle, hospitality, and food and beverages . The airline has already started engaging with selected startups but has not disclosed further details. Neetan Chopra , IndiGo’s Chief Digital and Information Officer, emphasized that the fund will leverage IndiGo’s technical expertise and extensive market reach to help startups develop new products and services. IndiGo, which holds a 63% market share in India’s domestic aviation sector, hopes that these investments will foster growth in the broader travel i...

Capital A Bhd shareholders have overwhelmingly approved the RM6.8 billion disposal of its aviation business to AirAsia X Bhd (AAX) at an extraordinary general meeting (EGM) on Monday. The resolutions were passed with 99.97% of attendees voting in favor. This disposal is a key part of Capital A’s plan to exit its Practice Note 17 (PN17) status, and now awaits approval from AAX shareholders at their upcoming EGM on Oct 16 . Capital A CEO Tan Sri Tony Fernandes expressed optimism on LinkedIn , calling it a "great day" for the group after navigating the challenges posed by Covid-19 . He emphasized that if AAX shareholders approve the deal, it would create a "very powerful aviation group" and position Capital A for significant growth. The deal includes the distribution of 73.33% of AAX shares that Capital A would receive from the disposal to its shareholders, a resolution also passed with 99.97% approval. Capital A aims to achieve a clean balance sheet and sub...

  The Malaysian Aviation Commission (Mavcom) received 2,083 complaints in the first half of 2024 (1H2024), reflecting a 32% year-on-year decrease compared to the same period in 2023, according to its bi-annual consumer report . Of these complaints, 98% were related to airlines , while the remaining 2% concerned airport services . Firefly , a subsidiary of Malaysia Aviation Group, recorded the highest number of complaints, with 166 complaints per million passengers , followed by Batik Air Malaysia (formerly Malindo Air) at 139 complaints , and AirAsia X Bhd at 127 complaints . The top three complaint categories were flight cancellations, mishandled baggage, and flight delays , which made up 42% of the total complaints. Despite the high volume, Mavcom resolved 97% of the complaints, with 45% of them resolved in favor of consumers after airlines reversed initial decisions. However, 579 complaints were deemed unactionable due to incomplete documentation or other jurisdiction...

Reiterate OUTPERFORM with unchanged target price (TP) of RM4.00 Macquarie Equities Research (MQ Research) released a research note on AirAsia, following a meeting with the group’s CEO, reiterating their  outperform  rating and keeping their  price target at RM4.00. Event MQ Research reiterates their  outperform  rating on AirAsia with an unchanged  target price of RM4.00  (+34% total shareholder return) following a meeting with Malaysia CEO, Aireen Omar. Key takeaways include: 1) strong demand supporting its reaccelerated growth for the Malaysia entity in 2017, 2) on track for leasing monetisation this year with a guided US$900mn–1.2bn valuation and 3) ramping up initiatives to boost ancillary income given unsatisfactory performance so far. With the potential for a special dividend accruing from the leasing portfolio monetisation, AirAsia remains one of MQ Research’s top picks in the Asian airline space. The stock trades at a 7.3x 20...