New York, Jan 20, 2026, 11:48 (EST) — Regular session
- Visa slipped as U.S. stocks dipped and other payment companies also lost ground.
- Traders kept an eye on Washington’s Jan. 20 deadline linked to the proposed 10% cap on credit-card interest rates.
- Investors turn their attention to Visa’s Jan. 29 earnings ahead of crucial U.S. data releases.
Visa Inc (NYSE: V) slipped 0.4% to $327.06 in late-morning trading Tuesday, after opening around $322 and hitting a low of $321.81 earlier in the session.
The payments giant remains caught in a wider selloff, driven more by policy shifts and risk-off sentiment than by any news from Visa itself.
Visa earns the bulk of its revenue from fees on card transactions rather than interest on credit-card balances. This means the stock’s performance hinges on spending patterns, travel activity, and regulatory or banking shifts affecting card economics.
Visa’s drop coincided with a broader market downturn, as the SPDR S&P 500 ETF fell around 1.1%, the Invesco QQQ ETF slipped about 1.1%, and the Dow ETF declined by a similar margin.
Payments stocks tracked each other lower. Mastercard slipped roughly 1.1%, American Express dropped 1.7%, and PayPal slid close to 2% by late morning.
Stocks wobbled after President Donald Trump announced new tariffs starting Feb. 1 on goods from several European countries, set to hit 25% by June 1 unless the U.S. secures a deal to buy Greenland. “The headlines are going to drive angst,” said David Lundgren, chief market strategist at Little Harbor Advisors. Investors are also eyeing upcoming U.S. GDP data, January PMI surveys, and the Personal Consumption Expenditures inflation report. 1
Washington adds another layer of uncertainty. Investors are eyeing the Jan. 20 deadline linked to a proposed 10% cap on credit-card interest rates, waiting to see if it triggers any swift action. “For now, it’s an overhang,” said Brian Jacobsen, chief economic strategist at Annex Wealth Management. TD Cowen analysts suggest “a political compromise” might be taking shape on the matter. 2
Visa’s connection is indirect, yet tangible. When banks clamp down on underwriting or reduce credit lines, transaction growth often slows, hitting network fee revenue in the process.
Off the tape, Air Transat announced plans to introduce a new loyalty program with Desjardins Group in the latter half of 2026, powered by Visa. Dan Iwachiw, an executive at Visa Canada, added the partners will launch a new range of cards linked to this program. 3
Bulls face a real risk if headline noise shifts into actual policy — tariffs could slow global growth just as credit-card regulations tighten. Together, these factors might squeeze spending and drag down valuations in fee-based payments stocks.
Visa will release its fiscal first-quarter results after the market closes on Jan. 29. 4
