plastic

金融市場の波乱の中で、収益力が抜群のカード会社MasterCardの第1四半期業績に関するTime誌の記事。ここで紹介するのはplasticという単語。現金や小切手など紙ベースの支払い手段に対してデビットカードやクレジットカードをプラスチックという。したがって、青字１）は、「アメリカの消費者は、カードへの依存度を高めている」という意味。緑字は、ニューヨーク州パーチェスにあるカード処理会社、すなわちMasterCardのことである。社名の繰り返しを避けるとともに、本社所在地を明らかにしているのである。青字２）の“gross dollar volume”はカード会社の規模を示す尺度であり、「カード利用取扱高」という意味。この記事にあるとおり、アメリカカード業界をリードするのは、MasterCard、VisaとDiscoverの3社である。日本のカード会社で国際的知名度があるのはＪＣＢだけだが、国際展開はまだ緒についたばかりである。

MasterCard Profit Surges as Spending Abroad Rises

Tuesday, Apr. 29, 2008 By AP/MADLEN READ

MasterCard's profit more than doubled in the first quarter as more customers outside the United States used their credit and debit cards for purchases

Bill Sikes / AP

Cardholder spending within the United States rose, too, but at a more moderate pace, indicating that while １）Americans are increasingly turning to plastic in a weak economy, emerging markets are becoming especially lucrative. The Purchase, N.Y.-based card processor said Tuesday it earned $446.9 million, or $3.38 per share for the January to March period. That is up from $214.9 million, or $1.57 a share, in the same timeframe last year.

Even after excluding the effects of a gain from terminating a customer business agreement and another gain from selling its remaining holdings in the Brazilian company Redecard, MasterCard's earnings per share totaled $2.59. That was above the average analyst estimate of $2 a share, according to Thomson Financial. Shares rose $26.11, or 11 percent, to $268.61 in afternoon trading Tuesday after rising to a 52-week high of $269.93 earlier in the session. The stock is up more than 20 percent since the beginning of the year.

MasterCard Inc. is like Visa Inc., in that it processes card payments, but its member banks issue the credit. And like Visa — as well as American Express Co. and Discover Financial Services LLC, which have also released their profit reports for early 2008 — MasterCard has reported an increase U.S. cardholder spending. Purchase volume with both credit cards and debit cards rose, ２）driving MasterCard's U.S. gross dollar volume up 8.9 percent from a year ago to $259 billion, despite a decline in U.S. credit card advances.

CEO and President Robert Selander said during a conference call with analysts that he continues to see U.S. consumers shift away from luxury purchases, such as home furnishings, toward necessities like food and gasoline, which are rising in cost. "We recognize that our customers are experiencing extraordinary challenging conditions," Selander said.