The results are in. The National Retail Federation (NRF) just released their survey results for post-Thanksgiving shopping. The numbers were strong. 154 million consumers shopped this holiday weekend, up 2% from 2015 and up 15% from 2014.

It's the time of year when the lists appear. This week, we round up lists of top influencers in various FinTech sectors around the globe.

I loved the Random Notes column in Rolling Stone magazine when I read it in high school. This week's email and its collection of FinTech links seems pretty random to me, and one of the articles focuses on a FinTech firm that goes back to 1976, when I was reading Random Notes rather than FinTech news.

How to Justify a high valuation and low growth simultaneously

Seven score and thirteen years ago this month (November 19, 1863), Abraham Lincoln delivered his renowned Gettysburg Address at the dedication for the Soldiers National Cemetery. With the ravages of the ferocious July battle still evident, President Lincoln’s two-minute address redefined American democracy and its “Union” of states within the context of the nation’s bloody sectarian battle over slavery.

I spent a couple days in New York this week and noticed an energy for business I don't experience in other cities. In every restaurant, coffee house, and shared business space I spent time in, individuals and groups were meeting to discuss their next new idea, offer, and deal.

Two weeks ago, I distributed a 5-Point healthcare plan for presumed President-elect Hillary Clinton. That was then. In a remarkable and unprecedented election surprise, Donald Trump defeated Hillary Clinton and will become the 45th President of the United States.

In a surprise move, the Indian government retired the country's current high-dollar bank notes and replaced them with new versions. ATMs ran dry as people went to banks to exchange their banned old notes for the brand-new ones.

Enrollment for purchasing 2017 health insurance on public exchanges began November 1st. Headlines for this fourth enrollment period include: 22% average price increases; major health insurers dropping coverage; and some exchanges only a single insurer offering health plans.

While Obamacare reels, its Healthcare.gov website functions smoothly. That was not true three years ago when the Obama administration launched HealthCare.gov. Curious consumers overwhelmed the website. It crashed repeatedly, catastrophically and almost died.

This week's issue of The Economist mentions FinTech as a factor in two economic trends in financial services and their relationship to technology: falling revenues for investment banks and shifting power for the City of London.

Data and its use and control, more than any technology innovation, took a primary position at this year’s Money20/20 conference and exhibition. This year’s annual event brought more than 10,000 financial-services executives, entrepreneurs, and technologists to Las Vegas for a whirlwind of meetings, presentations, and demonstrations.