Recession Fears: What the Skift Travel 200 Is Telling us Now

Key Points

• Travel stocks were the best performers on a bad day for the U.S. stock market but have underperformed over the past week and year.
• The Skift Travel 200 index fell 8.2% in the last week, underperforming the S&P 500's 5.1% decline.
• Ground transportation and airlines have seen significant declines, while cruise lines and accommodations have been the best-performing subsectors, though no major travel subsector is in the green for 2024.

Summary

Despite travel stocks being the best performers on a particularly bad day for the U.S. stock market, they have generally underperformed over the past week and year. The Skift Travel 200 index, which tracks travel stocks, fell 8.2% in the last week, underperforming the S&P 500's 5.1% decline. Ground transportation and airlines have seen significant declines, while cruise lines and accommodations have been the best-performing subsectors, although no major travel subsector is in the green for the year. Overall, recession fears are severely impacting investor confidence in the travel sector.