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Festivus is a secular holiday on December 23rd as an alternative to the pressures and commercialism of the Christmas Season. Originally created by author Daniel O’Keefe, Festivus entered popular culture after it was made the focus of the 1997 Seinfeld episode which O’Keefe’s son, Dan,co-wrote.

The non-commercial holiday’s celebration includes a Festivus dinner, an unadorned aluminum Festivus pole, practices such as the “airing of grievances” and “feats of strength”, and the labeling of easily explainable events as “Festivus miracles”. The TV episode refers to it as “a Festivus for the rest of us”.

It has been described both as a parody holiday festival and as a form of playful consumer resistance. Journalist Allen Salkin describes it as “the perfect secular theme for an all-inclusive December gathering”.

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(Bloomberg) — Drug-makers are slow-walking products to market to get around President Joe Biden’s plan to lower medication prices.

Companies from Roche Holding AG to biotech Alnylam Pharmaceuticals Inc. are among those delaying or evaluating therapies in light of the government’s new ability to negotiate for lower prices. Firms that normally try to sell drugs as soon as possible are suspending clinical trials and shifting timelines, while patient groups are demanding change. 

Here is where the major benchmarks ended:

Here’s where the major benchmarks ended:

• The S&P 500 index was up 7.88 points (0.2%) at 4,754.63, up 0.8% for the week; the Dow Jones Industrial Average was down 18.38 points at 37,385.97, up 0.2% for the week; the NASDAQ Composite^® (COMP) was up 29.11 points (0.2%) at 14,992.97, up 1.2% for the week.
• The 10-year Treasury note yield (TNX) was up about 1 basis point at 3.901%.
• The CBOEe^® Volatility Index (VIX) was down 0.62 at 13.03.

Small-cap stocks continued a strong finish to the year. The Russell 2000^® Index (RUT) rose 0.8% Friday to end at its highest level since April 2022 and rose 2.5% for the week, the small-cap benchmark’s sixth consecutive weekly gain. Regional banks and utilities were also among the strongest performers. In other markets, the U.S. Dollar Index (DXY) extended its recent slide and dropped to its weakest level since late July, reflecting ideas an outlook for lower interest rates may prompt investors to seek higher returns elsewhere.

Finally, with just four trading days left in 2023, the S&P 500 and other major equity benchmarks are poised to turn in a strong year that may more than make up for 2022’s losses. Through Friday, the S&P 500 was up nearly 24% for the year, after tumbling 19.4% in 2022. The Dow Jones Industrial Average and the NASDAQ Composite were up 13% and 43%, respectively, after losing 8.8% and 33% in 2022.

• CITE: https://www.r2library.com/Resource

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Filed under: "Ask-an-Advisor", "Doctors Only", Alternative Investments, Drugs and Pharma, Ethics, Financial Planning, Funding Basics, Glossary Terms, Investing, Jokes and Puns, LifeStyle, Touring with Marcinko | Tagged: Alnylam, banks, DJIA, drug delays, drug makers delay, energy, Festivus, gold, inflation, Marcinko, markets, metals, NASDAQ, oil, real-estate, Roche, Russell Index 2000, RUT, S&P 500, stock markets, TNX, utilities |