Novo Nordisk<\/a> stock rose more than 5% on Friday after prescription data from its chief rival Eli Lilly’s<\/a> newly launched weight loss pill showed Novo’s medicine kept momentum even after competition entered the market. <\/p>\n Lilly’s pill, Foundayo, launched earlier this month, while Novo’s Wegovy pill launched in early January in the U.S. Foundayo generated about 3,700 prescriptions in its second week after launch, according to IQVIA data cited by analysts. By comparison, Novo’s Wegovy pill drew over 18,000 prescriptions in its second week.<\/p>\n Shares in SAP<\/a> surged 4.7% after the German multinational enterprise software giant announced a rise in operating profits of almost 17%, and a 19% jump in cloud revenues, in its latest quarterly earnings.<\/p>\n SAP CEO Christian Klein told CNBC’s “Squawk Box Europe” on Friday that the company is “uniquely positioned to win in business AI” adding that it will “double down and reinvest” more money into AI innovation.<\/p>\n Renault<\/a> shares, meanwhile, went into reverse, sliding 3.6% after the French carmaker said its first-quarter sales were 3.3% lower than the same three-month period last year. Its group revenues rose 7.3% in the period, however, reaching 12.5 billion euros ($14.6 billion).<\/p>\n Investor attention remains focused on developments in the Middle East. On Thursday, U.S. President Donald Trump told reporters, “don’t rush me,” when questioned on a long-term deal with Iran. He also said he won’t put a “timetable” on when the war will end. <\/p>\n Overnight, it was reported that U.S. forces had boarded and searched another tanker thought to be carrying Iranian oil through the Indian Ocean. <\/p>\n Oil prices edged higher on Friday, with global benchmark Brent crude<\/a> futures adding 0.5% to reach $105.65 a barrel, while U.S. West Texas Intermediate<\/a> futures were marginally higher at $96.12, a 0.4% increase.<\/p>\n Back in Europe, investors monitored another flurry of corporate earnings, with Eni<\/a>, Orange<\/a>, and Volvo<\/a> among the firms updating shareholders on their finances. <\/p>\n U.K. retail sales increased 0.7% in March, according to new Office for National Statistics data, outweighing the 0.1% forecast by economists. In Germany, meanwhile, the Ifo Institute’s monthly business climate index fell to 84.4 in April \u2014 its lowest level since May 2020, at the start of the Covid-19 pandemic \u2014 suggesting the Iran war is now weighing heavily on the country’s economic outlook<\/a>. <\/p>\n French consumer confidence in April dipped to its lowest level in almost three years, according to data published by France’s national statistics bureau, INSEE.<\/p>\n![\"SAP](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/dk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/108296703-17770153331777015330-45474437395-1080pnbcnews.jpg\")
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