NEW YORK, Feb 2, 2026, 19:30 (EST) — After-hours
- Mastercard shares jump with a late U.S. equities rebound.
- A partial U.S. government shutdown delays Friday’s jobs report.
- Investors turn to Tuesday’s funding vote and any new timetable for the data.
Mastercard shares rose 3.1% to $555.37 in Monday’s regular session and were last little changed in after-hours trading. Visa rose 3.8%, while American Express added 0.2%, according to market data.
The move came as a broader Wall Street rebound pushed the S&P 500 up 0.54%, leaving it just short of its record close, with chipmakers and other AI-linked names leading. Small caps outpaced again, with the Russell 2000 up about 1%. “The fundamentals are good and earnings are strong,” said Tim Ghriskey, senior portfolio strategist at Ingalls & Snyder. (Reuters)
For payments stocks, the timing is awkward. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics said the closely watched January employment report will not be released on Friday because of a partial shutdown of the federal government. “The release will be rescheduled upon the resumption of government funding,” Emily Liddel told Reuters in a statement. Former BLS commissioner Erica Groshen warned that “the staff is already under extreme pressure,” pointing to staffing shortfalls and vacancies. (Reuters)
The U.S. House of Representatives is set to take a final vote on Tuesday on legislation to restore funding after a weekend lapse tied to a dispute over immigration enforcement, Reuters reported. The deal cleared the U.S. Senate with broad support, but House passage is not guaranteed. (Reuters)
Mastercard and peers tend to trade with shifts in risk appetite, but they also act as a rough read-through on consumer activity. When travel and discretionary spending hold up, networks typically see it in volumes and cross-border fees.
Last week, Mastercard beat Wall Street estimates for fourth-quarter profit and said it would cut about 4% of its global full-time workforce. “Recently, we completed a strategic review of our business,” CEO Michael Miebach said, adding the changes would reduce some roles while increasing focus in other areas. Executives said the move would drive a roughly $200 million one-time restructuring charge — a cost tied to the reorganization — in the current quarter. Mastercard said gross dollar volume, the total value of transactions on its network, rose 7%, while cross-border volume rose 14% — spending on cards outside the country they were issued in. (Reuters)
Investors will also watch how quickly those cost actions show up in margins, and whether the spending backdrop stays firm without a clean read from the labor market.
But there’s a clear downside scenario. If the shutdown drags and more releases slip, the data gap can hit sentiment quickly, especially for stocks tied to consumer throughput. Any sudden pullback in travel, or a turn in credit conditions, would show up fast in volumes.
For the next session, traders’ focus is political and procedural: Tuesday’s House vote on restoring government funding, and any update from the BLS on when the delayed jobs report will hit the tape.
