U.S. economic woes hurt shareholder values.(News)

Automotive News, April, 2008 by Chappell, Lindsay

Byline: Lindsay Chappell

The troubled U.S. economy is punishing automakers, suppliers and dealership groups, and their investors are sharing the pain.

Plunging consumer confidence, declining vehicle sales and the sagging U.S. dollar took their toll on shareholder return during the first three months of this year, according to the Automotive News/PricewaterhouseCoopers Total Shareholder Return Index.

Only three of the world's automakers increased in value during the quarter, and one just barely.

All but eight of the 34 publicly traded global suppliers lost value during the three months. And just two of the seven publicly traded U.S. auto retailers delivered a positive return.

Two factors caused most of the damage, says Paul...

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