I love plastic. I love the convenience, I love the loyality points, I love the security, and I love paying off the balance so it doesn't cost me anything. People forget that MA is not exposed to credit risk; they have a transaction-based model. These guys have a huge market share, the world is moving away from cash, and if you're smart and you're getting rewards from your card and paying off the balance, it's actually cheaper to use plastic than cash. . .it's other people's money for up to 60 days! For people who have less restraint, credit cards offer a way to buy stuff you can't quite afford. And if you default, the issuer takes the hit and you go and get yourself another Mastercard.
And when the Europeans come after you for being a monopoly, I think that's a good sign. Isn't it every company's goal to destroy the competition and jack up prices? Few companies make it that far. And here are the company's free cash flows since 2002 through TTM according to Morningstar:
| 251.5 |  | | 114.2 | | | 313.3 | | | 229.0 | | | 589.0 | | | 688.3 | | | 845.6 |
Even during these hard times, the company still generates a whole bunch of cash. The only reason I would sell this stock is if it grows so much that it takes over my entire portfolio. I tend not to focus on short term moves or technical analysis. Instead, I see it this way: here is a dominate company in a growing sector that makes a ton of money during these financial hard times.
$280.85999 (07/19/08)
