VISA is much larger than MasterCard (MA) in terms of customers. The great thing about companies like VISA and MA is that they don't actually have that many costs up front. Merchants have to pay all the overhead for their stores, etc. and all they do is swipe people's cards for purchases and VISA takes a cut of every single transaction. It's a great business. I don't remember exactly but it's supposed to be one of the largest IPO's ever or something of the sort (VISA that is). Should be exciting, but I would stay away for about a quarter or two to see some solid stock performance, unless you can get in on the actual IPO and dump your shares within a month (where most of the IPO money is made most of the time until the stock gets a chance to lift off; up to a year down the road).
If America goes into recession, obviously there will be "less" spending, but think about how much people still buy even in a recession. People have to eat, drink, buy necessities for the home, etc. It's not like spending will stop. You also have to take into account that unless the recession is serious and really felt by the general public, no one really cares or notices anything, unless they invest and monitor the economy and the markets. If you're in the stock trading life, recessions are like the end of the world almost... but for normal people it's not that big of a deal unless they get fired or just can't afford food anymore, etc.
