ETA Second Quarter U.S. Economic Indicators Report Shows Strong Industry Performance Amid Struggling Economy

WASHINGTON, Sept. 27, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- The Electronic Transactions Association, the trade association of the global electronic payments industry, today released its U.S. Economic Indicators Report for the second quarter of 2012. Published quarterly with analysis from The Strawhecker Group (TSG) for the benefit of ETA member companies, the 15^th edition of the report shows strong industry performance during the second quarter even as the national economy continues to struggle.

The report tracks the performance of a $100 investment in 2007 in an index of select industry companies that represent the "TSG Payments Index". In the second quarter, industry performance decreased slightly from the previous quarter, from $191 to $190, but grew 22.79% year-over-year. That compares to a 0.64% year-over-year growth rate for the S&P 500 index, which is one of the most commonly used benchmarks for the U.S. stock market. In the second quarter, S&P 500 performance also decreased from the previous quarter, from $99 to $94.

"ETA's U.S. Economic Indicators Report for the second quarter reveals that the electronic payments industry continues to perform well when compared to the rest of the U.S. economy," said ETA Chief Executive Officer Jason Oxman. "While we continue to face tough economic headwinds, the report provides ETA members with a deeper understanding of industry trends and the U.S. economy so that they can better assess their position in the current economic climate."    

Using proprietary data and analysis from TSG, ETA's Economic Indicators Report surveys the state of the electronics payments industry alongside key macro- and microeconomic data points. Armed with this information, ETA members can judge how the payments industry performs in various economic climates and the relationship it has between major economic indicators. The data in the report can also help ETA members prepare for future economic trends that could impact their businesses.

Other key findings in the report include:

• Total spending on Visa and
 MasterCard branded credit cards increased nearly 9% in
 Q2 2012 from a year earlier and increased nearly 10%
 from Q1 2012 to Q2 2012.
• Average transaction sizes on Visa and 
MasterCard branded credit cards grew -2.0% and +1.2%, 
respectively, from Q2 2011 to Q2 2012 and -0.4% and
 +0.8% from Q1 2012 to Q2 2012.
• Average transaction sizes among debit 
cards issued under the Visa and MasterCard brands both 
decreased approximately 1.0% from Q2 2011 to Q2 2012
 and decreased 1.6% and 3.6% from Q1 2012 to Q2 2012.

This is the 15^th Edition of the ETA U.S. Economic Indicators Report, which is only available in full to ETA members. Companies interested in becoming members of ETA should contact Del Baker, ETA's membership director, at [email protected] or 202-828-2635.

About ETA
The Electronic Transactions Association is an international trade association representing more than 500 companies that offer electronic transaction processing products and services. ETA's mission is to advance the payments industry profession by providing leadership through education, advocacy and the exchange of information.

SOURCE Electronic Transactions Association