Oil Prices Rise, Oracle Drives S&P 500 Up 9%
Geopolitical risk premium remained a headwind to investor sentiment on Wednesday as traders took stock of potential threats to the West Coast utility infrastructure from Iranian drones and also comments from Iranian military warning that the world should "get ready for $200 a barrel". Energy was by far the best performing sector in the S&P 500, and that remains so in the evening session, with WTI Crude Oil contract up over 6% above $92.50 per barrel. Oil price remains the key barometer with a strengthened inverse correlation to equity indices - in the opening hour, S&P 500 and Nasdaq 100 contracts are both down by 0.7%.Earnings season is over, though the markets are still reacting to Q4 reports trickling in among some notable tech names. Strong results from Oracle helped the stock to lead the S&P 500 today with a 9% jump, though this evening's quarterly updates from select software stocks with AI exposure saw more muted reactions - UiPath was down 5% while cybersecurity provider Netscope was down nearly 20% despite above-consensus numbers.Check out this evening's top movers from around Wall Street, compiled by The Fly.HIGHER AFTER EARNINGS -Tilly'sup 74.2%Bumbleup 18.7%Petco Health and Wellnessup 6.3%Fossil Groupup 5.8%Viant Technologyup 4.2%Digimarcup 2.3%DOWN AFTER EARNINGS -Netskopedown 17.2%Flotek Industriesdown 8.6%HighPeak Energydown 7.7%Culpdown 5.9%UiPathdown 4.6%ALSO LOWER -GlobalFoundriesdown 4.7% after equity offering