Asia-Pacific markets poised for gains following new record highs on Wall Street
Written by Emily J. Thompson, Senior Investment Analyst
Updated: Dec 11 2025
0mins
Should l Buy V?
Source: CNBC
Market Opening Trends: Asia-Pacific markets are expected to open higher, influenced by Wall Street's gains following the Federal Reserve's decision to lower interest rates by a quarter percentage point.
Japan and Australia Performance: Japan's Nikkei 225 is projected to rise, with futures indicating an increase, while Australia's S&P/ASX 200 is already up by 0.83%.
U.S. Market Highlights: The Dow Jones Industrial Average and S&P 500 reached new record highs, driven by the Federal Reserve's interest rate cut and a shift in investor focus from tech stocks to those benefiting from economic growth.
Stock Movements: The Dow rose by 646.26 points to a closing high of 48,704.01, while the S&P 500 also set a record at 6,901.00, despite a slight decline in the Nasdaq Composite.
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Analyst Views on V
Wall Street analysts forecast V stock price to rise over the next 12 months. According to Wall Street analysts, the average 1-year price target for V is 406.59 USD with a low forecast of 330.00 USD and a high forecast of 450.00 USD. However, analyst price targets are subjective and often lag stock prices, so investors should focus on the objective reasons behind analyst rating changes, which better reflect the company's fundamentals.
25 Analyst Rating
23 Buy
2 Hold
0 Sell
Strong Buy
Current: 331.580
Low
330.00
Averages
406.59
High
450.00
Current: 331.580
Low
330.00
Averages
406.59
High
450.00
About V
Visa Inc. is a global payments technology company. It facilitates global commerce and money movement across more than 200 countries and territories among a global set of consumers, merchants, financial institutions and government entities through technologies. It operates through the Payment Services segment. It provides transaction processing services (primarily authorization, clearing and settlement) to its financial institution and merchant clients through VisaNet, its proprietary advanced transaction processing network. It offers a range of Visa-branded payment products that its clients, including nearly 14,500 financial institutions, use to develop and offer payment solutions or services, including credit, debit, prepaid and cash access programs for individual, business and government account holders. It also provides value-added services to its clients, including issuing solutions, acceptance solutions, risk and identity solutions, open banking solutions and advisory services.
About the author
Emily J. Thompson
Emily J. Thompson, a Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) with 12 years in investment research, graduated with honors from the Wharton School. Specializing in industrial and technology stocks, she provides in-depth analysis for Intellectia’s earnings and market brief reports.
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- Payment Dependency Issue: Martina Weimert, CEO of the European Payments Initiative (EPI), highlighted that Visa and Mastercard accounted for nearly two-thirds of card transactions in the Eurozone in 2022, indicating Europe's heavy reliance on international payment solutions and the urgent need for action to enhance autonomy.
- Cross-Border Payment Initiative: The EPI launched the Wero platform in 2024, which is live in Belgium, France, Germany, and the Netherlands with over 43.5 million registered users, aiming to provide a European alternative to U.S. payment solutions and facilitate seamless cross-border payments.
- Timeliness of Digital Euro: Weimert expressed concerns about the European Central Bank's plan to issue a digital euro by 2029, suggesting it may arrive too late to address potential diplomatic tensions, thereby impacting Europe's payment independence.
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See More
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- Network Effect Advantage: With billions of cards in use globally and acceptance at over 150 million merchant locations, Visa and Mastercard benefit from a powerful network effect that enhances the platform's value, making it difficult to replicate and providing investors with stable confidence.
- Robust Financial Performance: Despite ongoing innovations from fintech companies and stablecoins, both Visa and Mastercard have achieved double-digit annualized revenue and diluted earnings-per-share growth over the past decade, underscoring their unshakeable competitive positions and providing peace of mind to shareholders.
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See More
Europe Urgently Needs to Reduce Dependence on U.S. Payment Companies
- Payment Dependency Issue: Martina Weimert, CEO of the European Payments Initiative (EPI), highlighted that Visa and Mastercard accounted for nearly two-thirds of card transactions in the Eurozone in 2022, indicating Europe's heavy reliance on international payment solutions and the urgent need for action to enhance autonomy.
- Cross-Border Payment Initiative: The EPI launched the Wero platform in 2024, which is live in Belgium, France, Germany, and the Netherlands with over 43.5 million registered users, aiming to provide a European alternative to U.S. payment solutions and facilitate seamless cross-border payments.
- Timeliness of Digital Euro: Weimert expressed concerns about the European Central Bank's plan to issue a digital euro by 2029, suggesting it may arrive too late to address potential diplomatic tensions, thereby impacting Europe's payment independence.
- Urgency for Action: As European officials grow increasingly worried about the dominance of U.S. payment companies, Weimert emphasized the necessity for Europe to act swiftly to leverage domestic payment card schemes and reduce reliance on external payment systems to ensure financial security and sovereignty.
See More
Stablecoins Experience Rapid Growth Amid Skepticism from Visa and Mastercard
- Rapid Market Growth: Stablecoins grew by 49% last year, reaching a total market cap of $250 billion, indicating strong momentum in the cryptocurrency space despite skepticism from traditional payment giants.
- Enhanced Payment Convenience: Operating on blockchain technology, stablecoins offer 24/7 settlement, reducing payment times from days to seconds, which could attract more attention from banks and payment networks amid increasing demand for fast transactions.
- Attractive Yields: Some stablecoins provide appealing yields to consumers, with predictions that nearly $500 billion in bank deposits will flow into stablecoins by 2028, highlighting their potential as a high-yield alternative that could alter consumer saving habits.
- Diverse Market Participants: In addition to Tether and USDC, stablecoins from companies like PayPal and Ripple showcase the diversity and competitiveness of this sector, and while Visa and Mastercard express doubts about demand, support from market participants may drive further development.
See More
Visa and Mastercard Dismiss Stablecoins in Developed Markets
- Stablecoin Market Overview: Currently, there are nine stablecoins with market caps exceeding $1 billion, led by Tether and USDC, which together account for a total market cap of $250 billion, indicating rapid growth in the crypto space, despite Visa and Mastercard's view of a lack of product-market fit in developed markets.
- Limitations of Payment Methods: Executives from Visa and Mastercard stated in earnings calls that consumer demand for stablecoins is limited, believing their usage is primarily confined to cross-border payments, which may hinder broader adoption among retail customers.
- Attractive Yield Appeal: The high yields offered by stablecoins have attracted many investors, with Standard Chartered predicting that nearly $500 billion in bank deposits will flow into stablecoins by 2028, suggesting that stablecoins could serve as a viable alternative to traditional bank deposits with significant market appeal.
- Blockchain Technology Advantages: Stablecoins, operating on blockchain technology, provide 24/7 settlement and payment speeds measured in seconds; although Visa and Mastercard express skepticism, this technological edge may prompt banks and payment networks to reconsider the potential value of stablecoins.
See More
Potential of Buffett's Smaller Holdings
- Holding Overview: As of February 4, Berkshire Hathaway owns $2.7 billion in Visa and $2.2 billion in Mastercard shares, making up 1.5% of its $324 billion portfolio; while this is a small percentage, the dominance of these companies in the payment industry is significant.
- Network Effect Advantage: Visa and Mastercard cards are widely used globally, accepted at over 150 million merchant locations, and their powerful network effects enhance the platform's value, making replication of this model a daunting task and ensuring their competitive edge.
- Strong Financial Performance: Over the past decade, both Visa and Mastercard have achieved double-digit annualized revenue and diluted earnings-per-share growth, and although they have lagged the S&P 500 in the last five years, their growth prospects remain robust, particularly with the ongoing adoption of cashless transactions.
- Valuation and Investment Advice: Despite Visa's price-to-earnings ratio of 30.9 being slightly lower than Mastercard's 32.9, both valuations are still not cheap; investors should keep an eye on these stocks as a solid foundation for their portfolios, even though outsized returns should not be expected.
See More
Buffett's Safe Investments: Visa and Mastercard
- Portfolio Overview: As of February 4, Berkshire Hathaway holds $2.7 billion in Visa shares and $2.2 billion in Mastercard shares, together representing 1.5% of its $324 billion portfolio, indicating the strong positions these companies hold in the payment industry despite their small percentage.
- Network Effect Advantage: With billions of cards in use globally and acceptance at over 150 million merchant locations, Visa and Mastercard benefit from a powerful network effect that enhances the platform's value, making it difficult to replicate and providing investors with stable confidence.
- Robust Financial Performance: Despite ongoing innovations from fintech companies and stablecoins, both Visa and Mastercard have achieved double-digit annualized revenue and diluted earnings-per-share growth over the past decade, underscoring their unshakeable competitive positions and providing peace of mind to shareholders.
- Future Growth Potential: Although both companies have underperformed relative to the S&P 500 over the past five years, their durable growth prospects from the ongoing shift towards cashless transactions suggest they will generate significantly higher revenues and profits in the future, making them a solid foundation for any investment portfolio.
See More
American Express Stock Soars with Successful Premium Strategy
- Outstanding Stock Performance: As of February 5, 2026, American Express's stock has surged 20% over the past six months, doubled in three years, and tripled in five years, showcasing its strong performance in the financial services sector, significantly outpacing rivals Visa and Mastercard.
- Successful Platinum Card Launch: Despite the annual fee increase from $695 to $895, the newly launched Platinum card has been a hit among consumers, with retention rates remaining stable and modest initial incentives for new cardholders, indicating robust demand for premium services.
- Significant Travel Booking Growth: The relaunch of the Platinum card, combined with the travel experience planning app, has driven a 30% year-over-year increase in travel bookings, directly reflecting the heightened engagement of cardholders as noted by CEO Stephen Squeri, further solidifying American Express's position in the luxury market.
- Flexible Strategic Planning: American Express operates without long-term financial goals, instead adapting through five core strategic pillars focusing on premium services, data-driven technology investments, international expansion, and refreshing existing products, ensuring strong returns for shareholders even in challenging economic conditions.
See More
