- Airline stocks outperformed Wednesday's stock-market rally after the Trump administration barred Chinese airlines from operating passenger flights to the US starting in mid-June.
- Alaska Air led the group after leaping as much as 12%, while United Airlines followed close behind with an 11.8% climb.
- American Airlines and Delta Air Lines surged as much as 8.6% and 8.2%. Southwest Airlines gained 7.1%.
- The ban followed the Transportation Department's accusing China of blocking US carriers and served as the latest escalation of trade tensions between the two nations.
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Airline stocks outperformed the broad market rally on Wednesday after the Trump administration barred Chinese airlines from operating passenger flights to the US.
Alaska Air led the group, leaping as much as 12% through the session. United Airlines followed close behind, with an 11.8% climb to intraday highs. American Airlines and Delta Air Lines jumped as much as 8.6% and 8.2%, while Southwest Airlines gained as much as 7.1%.
The S&P 500's intraday high sat about 1.3% above its previous close.
The ban, set to take effect on June 16, followed the Department of Transportation's accusing China of blocking US carriers from the country.
Should the Civil Aviation Authority of China "adjust its policies to bring about the necessary improved situation for U.S. carriers, the Department is fully prepared to revisit the action it has announced in this order," the department said in its Wednesday order.
Airline stocks have enjoyed their best streaks in months as traders bet on a smooth economic reopening and a pickup in travel demand. The sector staged numerous small rallies through March and April before falling further amid coronavirus-related travel bans. Most of the US airlines now trade at their highest levels since mid-March.
The ban was President Donald Trump's latest retaliation against China as trade tensions have flared the most in months. China recently halted some imports of US farm goods, threatening a key element of the two nations' phase-one trade deal.
Despite rising US-China stresses, stocks have gained through the month's first sessions as optimism about economic recovery has outweighed the risks of a renewed trade war. The Wednesday announcement helped drive indexes to intraday highs and bring the Nasdaq 100 mere points away from topping its record February 19 close.
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