Sunday Reads: Christmas Ozempic and Taylor Swift's economy

Hello, Quartz members, and welcome to Sunday Reads!

Christmas is coming and it’s not just the goose that’s getting fat. Elon Musk is now worth almost half-a-trillion dollars, Boeing’s astronauts are still stuck in space, and the Fed is cutting interest rates — for now. But it’s Sunday, and time to shift your gaze to some hand-selected reads. Here are some of our favorite Quartz stories from the week, plus a sneak peek at one story coming next week to get your day started.

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5 things we especially liked on Quartz

🧠 Next up for AI: synthetic data. At the cutting edge of AI is a growing focus synthetic data. It’s data that has either been cleaned of identifying private information, or created from scratch to train large language models and solve problems. Rocio Fabbro spoke with John Myers, co-founder and CTO of Gretel, a leading synthetic data provider, about how it all works and why it matters.

🚗 What’s ahead for EVs in 2025. The “tipping point” for the EV transition won’t come from pro-environment regulators or anti-EV politicians. Instead it will come from consumers learning about — and loving — better, cheaper EVs, says a Ford executive overseeing electric vehicle programs. Join William Gavin for a conversation with Ford’s Darren Palmer.

🪙 Will Bitcoin keep booming? With the leading cryptocurrency breaking the $100,000 barrier this year, and President-elect Donald Trump promising a crypto-friendly administration, what does the next year hold for Bitcoin. Vinamrata Chaturvedi spoke with somel crypto experts. Here’s what they had to say.

🍝 Hungry for the holidays. A survey of Americans using weight loss drugs like Ozempic and Wegovy found that one in six plan to skip their medication over the holidays so they can enjoy the feasts. But physicians say that’s when the drugs work best, by turning off “food noise.” Bruce Gill takes a look.

🎤 Taylor Swift’s Eras economy.  21 months, 5 continents, 149 shows, 10 million concert-goers, and $2.2 billion in ticket sales. That’s the wrap on Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour, a concert run for the ages and the record books. Deena Zaidi looks at the economic impact.

1 sneak peek

💸 AI ignites a private market boom. The draw of getting in on AI startups is serving as a gateway for well-heeled investors to pour more money into a wider array of private companies. BlackRock, Morgan Stanley, and Citi have all expanded private market offerings to meet growing demand. Rocio Fabbro talks to wealth managers about it. Visit qz.com on Monday morning for a look at the future of everything.

What we’re watching this week

• Monday: BHP Group earnings; The unofficial, Seinfeld-inspired holiday of Festivus.
• Tuesday: Christmas Eve, the stock market closes at 1 p.m. ET.
• Wednesday: Christmas Day, the market is closed.

Thanks for reading! Here’s to the week ahead, and don’t hesitate to reach out with comments, questions, feedback, joy, or stocking stuffers. Sunday Reads was brought to you by Peter S. Green.