Southwest Airlines' investors still heading for the exits. US airline share prices
The US overall market closed higher, as investors contemplated progress on a USD15 billion bailout plan for the troubled American motor vehicle industry. The Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 70.09 points (+0.81%) to 8,761.42 points. The Nasdaq rose 18.14 points (1.17%) to 1,565.48 and the Standard & Poor's 500 index added 10.52 points (1.18%) to 899.19.
In this quiet environment, Southwest's continued downward movement (-4.7%)shows all the signs of large investors steadily heading for the door, as the gloss disappears from its longstanding glow.
Meanwhile, at the other end of the scale, one of the consistently big movers on the Wall Street casino, US Airways, gained 7.0% on the day for no obvious reason other than the daily gamble.
North America selected airlines daily share price movements (% change): 10-Dec-08