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

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.

Last week’s election should be dubbed the revenge of the neglected. The outcome would have been different if Hillary’s strategists had taken to heart James Carville’s famous quip in 1992, “It’s the economy, stupid.” I remember it well, because I pulled together Bill Clinton’s economic program for the 1992 campaign. Of course, today’s economic problems are different from those of a quarter-century ago. But the political manifestation is virtually the same – tens of millions of Americans justifiably dissatisfied with their economic conditions and prospects.

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.

Many facile comparisons have been made between Brexit and the election of Donald Trump today.

They have an important element in common. But the commentators have missed it.

It is said that both represent a backlash against globalisation. Others say it is a revolt of the uneducated, the marginalised, the people who have been left behind.  Others  emphasise the reaction against excessive immigration: “We want our country back”.

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.