In early June, Morgan Stanley (NYSE: MS ) published a report on travel industry trends. The results confirm what many investors believe when it comes to the best travel stocks.

Investors typically have two ways to express their bearish views of a stock: sell out of a stock expected to fall shortly or outright short the stock. Shorting is a bit more complex since the downside is theoretically infinite while the upside is fixed, and borrowing shares creates an interest expense for most.

The market is caught between excitement over Fed rate cuts and nervousness over weakening consumer trends, unemployment, and falling wage growth. I've been discussing the ongoing economic weakening, declining consumer spending power, and labor market struggles for months. I discuss my call for a 2024 recession, data on weakening consumer trends, the impact of Fed rate cuts on big tech, and a cautious buy list.

BETHESDA, Md., Aug. 2, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Marriott International, Inc. (Nasdaq: MAR) today announced that its board of directors declared a quarterly cash dividend of 63 cents per share of common stock.

SHANGHAI , Aug. 1, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Marriott International, Inc. recently announced that it has signed an agreement with Zhong An Commercial Group, part of China New City Group, to bring the W Hotels brand to Hangzhou. Anticipated to open in 2031, W Hangzhou will be located at the northwest intersection of Minhe Road and Liyi Road in Qianjiang Century City, Hangzhou's developing new CBD.

Marriott International, Inc MAR reported weaker-than-expected revenue for its second quarter on Wednesday.

Adjusted EPS was $2.50, slightly exceeding management's guidance. Worldwide Comparable RevPAR (Revenue per Available Room) increased by 4.9% in Q2, meeting the higher end of guidance.

Marriott International's (MAR) second-quarter results Wednesday came with disappointing revenue per available room (revPAR) guidance, sending the huge hotel company's shares sharply lower.

Marriott's (MAR) second-quarter 2024 results reflect continuous growth in global travel demand aiding the RevPAR growth. Yet, increased expenses marred prospects to some extent.

Marriott International, Inc. (NASDAQ:MAR ) Q2 2024 Earnings Call Transcript July 31, 2024 8:30 AM ET Company Participants Jackie McConagha - SVP, IR Tony Capuano - President and CEO Leeny Oberg - CFO and EVP, Development Conference Call Participants Stephen Grambling - Morgan Stanley Shaun Kelley - Bank of America Smedes Rose - Citi Joe Greff - JPMorgan David Katz - Jefferies Brandt Montour - Barclays Dan Politzer - Wells Fargo Bill Crow - Raymond James Ari Klein - BMO Capital Markets Robin Farley - UBS Patrick Scholes - Truist Securities Michael Bellisario - Baird Operator Good day everyone and welcome to today's Marriott International Q2 2024 Earnings. At this time, all participants are in a listen-only mode.

Although the revenue and EPS for Marriott (MAR) give a sense of how its business performed in the quarter ended June 2024, it might be worth considering how some key metrics compare with Wall Street estimates and the year-ago numbers.

Marriott International (MAR) came out with quarterly earnings of $2.50 per share, beating the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $2.49 per share. This compares to earnings of $2.26 per share a year ago.