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Novo Nordisk (NVO) rises as FDA approves Wegovy pill for obesity. (00:24) Mercedes (MBGAF) to pay $150M settlement over diesel scandal. (01:09) ByteDance (BDNCE) plans $23B capex for 2026 with focus on AI infrastructure – FT. (01:57)
The US FDA has approved an oral version of the Novo Nordisk (NVO) , blockbuster weight loss therapy Wegovy (semaglutide).
The Wegovy pill is the first GLP-1 oral treatment approved for obesity.
Approval was based on results of the OASIS 4 trial, which showed oral semaglutide 25 mg taken daily resulted in a 16.6% mean weight loss in adults who were obese or overweight with one or more comorbidities.
The Wegovy pill is expected to launch in January 2026.
Novo shares are up ~7% in premarket action.
Mercedes-Benz (MBGAF) USA and parent company Daimler AG have agreed to pay $149.6 million to settle allegations with 48 U.S. states, Puerto Rico, and the District of Columbia over diesel emissions.
A coalition of attorneys general said on Monday that between 2008 and 2016, the German automaker equipped more than 211,000 diesel passenger cars and vans with software devices that optimized emission controls during tests but reduced the controls during normal operations, according to a report by the Associated Press.
The settlement calls for the automaker to pay the attorneys general $120 million with another $29 million payment suspended and potentially waived pending completion of a consumer relief program.
TikTok’s parent company, ByteDance (BDNCE) has preliminary plans to allocate about 160 billion yuan (~$22.77 billion) in capital expenditure for 2026, primarily targeting AI infrastructure development.
The Financial Times reported, citing people familiar with the matter, around half of the budget, approximately 85 billion yuan, targets advanced AI processors.
The rest supports broader AI model training and data center expansions, including overseas facilities, the people said. This marks an increase from roughly 150 billion yuan spent in 2025.
Should NVIDIA (NVDA) H200 chip sales be allowed to Chinese tech groups, ByteDance (BDNCE) plans to buy 20,000 H200s in a test order, which could cost about $20,000 per unit, the report added. The tech giant could also significantly increase its capital expenditure for 2026 if it gained unlimited access to buy more H200s.
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Dow, S&P and Nasdaq futures are in the green. Crude oil is down 0.2% at $57/barrel. Bitcoin is down 1.2% at $87,000. Gold is up 0.9% at $4,484.
The FTSE 100 is down 0.1% and the DAX is down 0.5%.
The biggest movers for the day premarket: ZIM Integrated Shipping Services (ZIM) +12% – Shares surged after the company said it has received proposals from multiple strategic parties as part of its ongoing review of strategic alternatives.
On today’s economic calendar:
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8:30 am GDP
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10:00 am New Home Sales
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