Business & Markets — August 3, 2026

AstraZeneca, Bristol Myers explore merger. The drugmakers held months of talks over a potential $400 billion merger that would create the world's fourth-largest pharmaceutical company by market value. Analysts question the rationale.

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Retailers set for GLP-1 windfall. As patients increasingly obtain GLP-1 weight-loss prescriptions directly, Walmart, Costco, and Amazon are positioned to capture a major share of the booming market.

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U.S., Japan jointly prop up yen. The U.S. and Japan confirmed over the weekend they intervened in currency markets to support the yen -- the first coordinated action in decades. The yen jumped to a three-month high.

The Japanese currency had been battered before the joint action, and Washington's decision to participate has prompted questions about what motivated the move, according to CNBC. The rarity of a coordinated step, the first in decades, has drawn attention to what is at stake for both governments in stabilizing the exchange rate.

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