Visa, Mastercard, and American Express Win With a Strong Consumer. How to Play the Trend.

Santa Claus has been busy this Christmas. Traders have memorialized Santa’s importance to the stock market with an easy-to-remember jingle: “If Santa Claus should fail to call, bears may come to Broad and Wall.” Despite recent concerns that the Federal Reserve may not lower interest rates as much as the market would like, consumer spending will likely remain robust in the new year—and thus keep the U.S. economy and stocks humming hot.