According to @StockMKTNewz, U.S. 18-29-year-olds are the least likely to own a credit card and the least likely to carry a month-to-month credit card balance, highlighting a weaker participation of the youngest cohort in revolving credit (source: @StockMKTNewz). For traders, this cohort profile points to lower revolving-credit participation and interest income contribution from younger consumers relative to older groups, an input for modeling revenue mix at credit card issuers and networks (source: @StockMKTNewz). Equity watch: Visa (V), Mastercard (MA), American Express (AXP), Capital One (COF), and Discover (DFS) exposure to U.S. youth revolving balances should reflect the lower card ownership and balance-carrying rates cited for ages 18-29 (source: @StockMKTNewz).

According to @StockMKTNewz, citing the Wall Street Journal, Visa (V) and Mastercard (MA) are nearing a settlement with merchants that would lower average credit-card interchange fees by about 0.1 percentage point over several years from typical 2%–2.5% levels (source: Wall Street Journal via @StockMKTNewz). The talks would also relax honor-all-cards rules, allowing merchants to reject higher-fee rewards cards to manage costs (source: Wall Street Journal via @StockMKTNewz). A deal could be announced soon and would require court approval before taking effect (source: Wall Street Journal via @StockMKTNewz). The report does not mention any changes to cryptocurrency or stablecoin policies, indicating no identified direct crypto-market impact in the source material (source: Wall Street Journal via @StockMKTNewz). Key trading variables for V and MA are the finalized fee timetable and the timing of judicial approval as reported (source: Wall Street Journal via @StockMKTNewz).