  We investigate the possibility of constructing a renormalizable standard
model with purely fermionic matter content. The Higgs scalar is replaced by
point-like fermionic self-interactions with couplings growing large at the
Fermi scale. An analysis of the UV behavior in the point-like approximation
reveals a variety of non-Gaussian fixed points for the fermion couplings. If
real, such fixed points would imply nonperturbative renormalizability and evade
triviality of the Higgs sector. For point-like fermionic self-interactions and
weak gauge couplings, one encounters a hierarchy problem similar to the one for
a fundamental Higgs scalar.
