Might want to take a look at the stagnant stock price of UPS over the last two years and compare it with UPS' financial strength and credit rating...

True but it's not always about that. Many people forget that you aren't just buying and selling a fluctuating number. You are actually buying ownership of the company. The current stock price is what people are willing to buy the company for. The lack of fluctuation means that many people are buying and selling at the same time keeping the supply/demand even. Once the IPO is out the company got the money it needed to expand. The rest is just what Joe #1 is willing to sell his piece of the company to Joe #2 for.

In the case of XJT. They reported a loss. People don't think their part of the company is worth as much so they are trying to off load it. Should they start posting profits people will hold on to their part of the company driving their shares up. I think the company does good business and should we see several 170/190s come rolling out I think they'll do great business. So my buying them at $5.75 is good to me. Should they tank then they tank and I'm out what I was willing to lose.

Knowing an airline is no different than knowing burger king or anything else. We have a famous CEO that drives that home. It's just about numbers, management, and potential numbers. Like was mentioned, look at Berkshire Hathaway. The guy doesn't know anything about most the companies he owns. Just looked at the numbers. MSNBC had a great show on him last week.

Anyway the XJT stock is sinking because of a shady future, reported losses, ect. Not because of the people that work there which is a big problem. People think because you say something like "XJT isn't doing so well" that you're calling the pilots idiots or something.

Mesa is always amazing me. This china bit is going to be funny. The chinese mentality will work hand in hand with them. Regardless of what they do I don't see it lasting for very long and that 737 bit is BS. All china wants is it's own airlines using it's own motherland airplanes flown by their own pilots. They'll probably treat you like a scab the whole time you're there.

Are you sure? Didn't you have to get re-checked? At least you said something to that effect.

In my opinion, the only reason ExpressJet is surviving right now is because the industry is booming. People are flying a lot right now and the load factors are relatively high.
Almost every airline is doing well, not great, but well. Even Independence Air would have been okay if they were still alive right now.
Once the flying slows, which it eventually will, the pains of running an semi-autonomous airline with regional jets will hit hard.

Without even looking deeply into the financials of UPS I would say its easy to see that they haven't undergone any new major expansion or operations rebuidling. Unless a blue chip company screws up, gets involved in a scandal or otherwise shows major promise for increased market share then their stock will likely move slowly.

UPS net income increased 10% last year and 15% the year before that. That is definitely healthy, but I wouldn't call it strong growth given the nature of their sector

Fedex for example had 28% increase in net income last year and 68% the year before that.

I had to get a re-check yes. I didn't have much experience using the FMS and autopilot. He wanted to see me do things using the system that I wasn't familiar with ie. getting the FMS and autopilot to fly the hold instead of me hand flying all of it. So spent a lesson on it then went back and nailed it. Wasn't a big deal. Getting your CFI is definitely harder.

They are trying with the ANQ base. UPS is healthy. The shareholders are still making money.

Wow, that must have been darn near impossible then.

Just had a bad day. Wasn't feelin it. The Ft. Worth FSDO has an 80% fail. much harder. The checkride for 121, at least here, was easy enough. Nothing really serious. Just was "off" on my first one and didn't have the FMS down.

For the folks that think they understand stock prices, you should really read "The Little Book that Beats the Market". Pretty interest stuff.

There is no rhyme or reason why stock prices fluctuate so much in 99.9% of the companies out there. Buying stock is legalized gambling, the ONLY thing holding up the house of cards is that others are willing to go along with the idea. You're not buying a piece of the company, you're buying a piece of paper, and that's generally not even the case anymore. You can't go to the company that you just bought a share from and trade in your stock for money, and you certainly don't get an equal share of their profits at the end of the day (and don't point out dividends, paying $80/share for some oil stock and getting $0.50 in dividends from it is hardly cost effective)...

People that play the stock market are betting on appreciation, just like home owners do. But at least homes on tangible.