published Jan 3rd 2017, 8:30 am, by Francis Wilkinson (Bloomberg View) —The religious left is the Sasquatch of American politics. It leaves footprints in the snow but recent sightings of the creature itself are rare, and not always credible. Progressive politics is dominated by secular ideals and, increasingly, secular voters.

Copyright 2015 Bloomberg. NLBOF66KLVS6 (Bloomberg) — The Standard & Poor’s 500 Index rose the most since Feb. 3, amid corporate deals and as investors weighed the timing of interest-rate increases after lower-than-forecast economic data. Health-care companies in the S&P 500 Index advanced 2.2 percent as Salix Pharmaceuticals Ltd. accepted a sweetened,