Out Fox The $treet

More signs of strong pricing discipline in the airline sector make the legacy stocks look worth pursuing. After well-documented decades of losses, the airlines appear more inclined to focus on profits than on passenger growth. Recently, both Orbitz ( NYSE: OWW     ) and Travelocity announced that Thanksgiving airfares were expected to be 7%-9% higher than fares from last year. This trend might not be welcome news to the people planning to fly over the holiday period, but it should be very encouraging news to airlines. Yet, online travel sites such as Orbitz might struggle if the higher fares push some travelers to seek alternative transportation. Read the full article here . Disclosure: Long LCC. Please review the disclaimer page for more details. 

The headline says it all. Though analysts expect a weak consumer and poll after poll shows a very pessimistic shopper, consumers continue to spend at a record pace.  Not only did consumers come out in droves for the holiday season, but they actually spent more as well. The total ended up 16% higher than last year mostly due to consumers spending roughly 10% more than last year while more shopped than normal.  Naturally economists will point back to the strong 2008 Black Friday period that then saw spending fizzle. This will be the feared example that a weak consumer is only willing to buy deep discounts.  While highly possible, nothing shows that 2011 will see anything close to a repeat of 2008. The economy isn't in a recession now like 2008. Not to mention, the whole world isn't falling apart like back in the period leading up to Christmas 2008. How could consumers even think about picking up spending back then as fear of a financial collapse spread? Cyber...