💳 Visa + Mastercard’s swipe-opoly

…and “Call of Duty” loses steam as gaming slows [Disclosures](   Is it, though? (Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)   Last Week’s Market Moves   Dow Jones 32,803 (-0.13%) S&P 500 4,145 (+0.36%) Nasdaq 12,658 (+2.15%) Bitcoin $23,159 (-2.63%) Dow Jones 32,803 (-0.13%) S&P 500 4,145 (+0.36%) Nasdaq 12,658 (+2.15%) Bitcoin $23,159 (-2.63%) Hey Snackers, How much is one Zuck worth? A camp counselor’s about to find out, after unearthing a [rare baseball card]( featuring a young Mark Zuckerberg holding a bat. Baby Zuck had given the signed card to the counselor as a gift. We’ll see whether Zuck puts MLB players to shame at auction. Stocks ticked down Friday on news that the US had added 528K jobs last month — more than double what was expected — and finally [recovered]( all jobs lost during the pandemic. In this inflationary economy, good news is bad news: investors worry the hot labor market will compel the Fed to hike rates more aggressively. Yesterday, Senate Dems [passed]( their $739B climate and healthcare bill (aka: The Inflation Reduction Act), sending it to the House. Btw... Do you want to start getting Snacks daily? Or prefer to unsubscribe? Manage your subscription preferences [here](. Swiped Visa and Mastercard are profiting from higher swipe fees and growing debt, but their swipe-opoly is under fire Swipe left… Your local grocery and [Disney]( have a common enemy: card fees. This spring, [Visa]( and [Mastercard]( [hiked]( the “swipe fees” they charge merchants for card purchases. FYI: merchants can pass swipe costs on to shoppers. Visa and Mastercard process 83% of US credit cards and earned $55B+ from swipe fees last year. But the duopoly is under scrutiny: - New rules: The Senate’s [finalizing]( a bill that would boost payment competition by forcing banks to use several partners, versus exclusively using Visa or Mastercard. More competition’s expected to reduce fees by $11B+ annually. - New suits: This month Disney [sued]( Visa and Mastercard, alleging they were essentially fixing fees — they settled privately. [Walmart]( [Kroger]( [Amazon]( and others have won billions doing the same. - Scandals: Last week a judge [greenlighted]( a suit against Visa for processing payments for Pornhub parent MindGeek (which is accused of enabling child sex abuse). The case could make payment juggernauts responsible for all transactions they process. Land of the fee… home of the paid. US retailers pay 7X more in swipe fees than European retailers, which cap card fees. Most of that fee $$ goes to the bank that actually issued your card, because the bank is the one paying the merchant. But networks like Visa and Mastercard, which move your $5 latte payment from your bank to your coffee shop, are cashing in too: - Booming profits: Visa’s and Mastercard’s profits surged last quarter, and Visa’s 66% profit margin is the S&P 500’s highest. - Soaring IOUs: Credit-card balances spiked 13% last quarter, the biggest jump in 20+ years, as savings dwindled and inflation sizzled. THE TAKEAWAY The swipe economy is changing… Swipe fees increase costs for US families by $700 annually, on average, and hit low-income shoppers hardest. Now lawsuits and legislation could rewrite payment rules and curb the swipe-opoly. Meanwhile, Visa and Mastercard are building in-house buy now, pay later systems and crypto products to unlock revenue beyond swipes. But they’ll face scrutiny: last year the DOJ blocked Visa’s $5.3B acquisition of pay-tech giant Plaid. Zoom Out Stories we’re watching... Ready, player none… The pandemic gaming boom is over. Global video-game sales are [expected]( to fall this year for the first time in seven years. Last week, gaming titan [Activision]( Blizzard (“Call of Duty,” “Overwatch”) said its quarterly revenue was $600M lower than a year ago. [Nintendo’s]( Switch sales plunged 60%, [Microsoft]( reported lower gaming revenue as Xbox sales slipped, and FIFA legend EA lowered its sales forecast. Up next to report: [Roblox](. Supply woes, recession jitters, and IRL fun are expected to [shrink]( gaming sales by 9% this year. BTS is back... we're not talking K-pop. This year’s back-to-school season will be pricey: families with kids in elementary through high school plan to spend, on average, $864 on supplies, up $168 from 2019. Retailers including Walmart and [Target]( have cut their sales outlooks as households prioritize essentials like groceries and Ticonderoga pencils over new laptops. Still, overall BTS spend is on pace to match last year's $37B record. Some parents are dipping into savings to afford supplies. Now, some states are [offering]( sales-tax holidays for BTS shopping. Events Coming up this week... Love at first swipe… for [Bumble]( investors. The dating (and networking) biz, where women make the first move, saw a 24% revenue bump last quarter as its 3M+ paying users spent more $$ on app perks. Now Bumble’s targeting Gen Z with cheaper subscriptions and more digi-gift offerings (think: $5 virtual bouquet). Still, global dating-app downloads have [dipped]( as people pick IRL meetups over speed-swiping. Tinder owner [Match]( saw its shares plunge last week after reporting slowing growth. We’ll see whether Bumble felt the same heat when it reports Wednesday. Taking home the mini shampoo… Don’t forget free cotton swabs. Hotel staple [Hyatt]( reports tomorrow amid the travel rebound. The leisure + hospitality sector led July job gains as restaurants and hotels scrambled to hire (they’re still 1.2M positions short of prepandemic levels). Hospitality stocks have gained over the past month after strong earnings from Hilton and [Marriott]( whose revenue per available room surged 70% year over year. [Airbnb]( had its best quarter ever with record bookings. We’ll see if Hyatt swung back to a profit. ICYMI Last week's highlights... - [Batted]( After spending $90M on “Batgirl,” [Warner Discovery]( is scrapping the DC flick (which it had planned to release directly to HBO Max). Warner’s new execs are shifting focus back to box-office hits as losses mount. - [Taipei]( House Speaker Nancy Pelosi became the highest-ranking US official to visit Taiwan in 25 years. Last week’s historic visit drew China’s wrath and rattled global markets. - [Bubbly]( [Pepsi]( invested $550M in “healthy” energy-drink maker [Celsius](. As soda declines, big bev companies have shifted to functional beverages (think: vitamin-packed energy drinks and enhanced waters). What else we're Snackin' - [Friend]( A study analyzing 21B [Facebook]( friendships found that low-income kids with wealthier friends earn more as adults. Researchers say cross-class friendships help economic mobility more than school quality. - [Jackpot]( The US got lotto fever last month when the Mega Millions jackpot hit $1.3B, but the frothy payout might not have been the only driver: high ticket sales can be a sign of economic desperation. - [OOTD]( TikTok is becoming outfit Tok. Insta attracts 3X more influencer-marketing spend from brands, but the Tok’s surpassed FB as a fashion-marketing go-to — and is on track to steal YouTube’s second-place spot. Want your Snacks daily? The Daily Newsletter Get fresh takes on financial news every week day. Try a sample: 🦇 [Warner scraps “Batgirl”]( • Aug 5, 2022 💔 [Match’s dating doldrums]( • Aug 4, 2022 ✈️ [Pelosi-China shivers]( • Aug 3, 2022 [Subscribe to the Daily]( Snack Fact Of the Day As of June, 61% of American adults lived paycheck to paycheck — up from 55% a year earlier [Read more]( This Week - Monday: Earnings expected from Tyson, GoodRx Holdings, and 23andMe - Tuesday: Earnings expected from Marriott, Planet Fitness, Lemonade, Coinbase, Hyatt, and IAC - Wednesday: July inflation numbers released. Earnings expected from Roblox, Disney, Nio, Bumble, and Wendy's - Thursday: Jobless claims. Earnings expected from Baidu, Canada Goose, Rivian, Toast, Celsius Holdings, and Warby Parker - Friday: Earnings expected from Spectrum Brands Authors of this Snacks own: shares of Bumble, Amazon, Walmart, Disney, Microsoft, IAC, Baidu, Warner Bros. 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