Upcoming Key Market Events Preview
Written by Emily J. Thompson, Senior Investment Analyst
Updated: Mar 07 2026
0mins
Source: Yahoo Finance
- Earnings Reports: Next week will see earnings results from Hewlett Packard Enterprise (HPE), Kohl's (KSS), Oracle (ORCL), and Adobe (ADBE), which are expected to significantly impact market sentiment, particularly as investors closely monitor performance in the tech and retail sectors amid the current economic climate.
- CPI Data Release: The Consumer Price Index (CPI) results for February will be released, with the market keenly observing changes in inflation trends that will provide crucial insights for the Federal Reserve's monetary policy decisions, potentially influencing interest rate expectations and stock market performance.
- NFIB Optimism Index: The latest readings on the NFIB Optimism Index will be published, reflecting small business owners' confidence in the economic outlook; strong data could boost market sentiment and affect related stock performance.
- Existing Home Sales Data: The latest data on existing home sales in the U.S. will also be released, with the market closely watching the health of the real estate sector, especially against a backdrop of rising interest rates, which could impact consumer confidence and spending.
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Analyst Views on ORCL
Wall Street analysts forecast ORCL stock price to rise
34 Analyst Rating
25 Buy
9 Hold
0 Sell
Moderate Buy
Current: 203.700
Low
180.00
Averages
309.59
High
400.00
Current: 203.700
Low
180.00
Averages
309.59
High
400.00
About ORCL
Oracle Corporation offers integrated suites of applications plus secure, autonomous infrastructure in the Oracle Cloud. The Company operates through three businesses: cloud and license, hardware and service. Its cloud and license business is engaged in the sale, marketing and delivery of its enterprise applications and infrastructure technologies through cloud and on-premise deployment models including its cloud services and license support offerings, and its cloud license and on-premise license offerings. Its hardware business provides infrastructure technologies including Oracle Engineered Systems, servers, storage, industry-specific hardware, operating systems, virtualization, management and other hardware-related software to support diverse IT environments. Its services business provides services to customers and partners to help maximize the performance of their investments in Oracle applications and infrastructure technologies.
About the author

Emily J. Thompson
Emily J. Thompson, a Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) with 12 years in investment research, graduated with honors from the Wharton School. Specializing in industrial and technology stocks, she provides in-depth analysis for Intellectia’s earnings and market brief reports.
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- Tech Stocks Lead Gains: Dell Technologies surged 32% after reporting Q1 total revenue of $43.84 billion, significantly exceeding the consensus estimate of $35.52 billion, and raised its 2027 revenue forecast to between $165 billion and $169 billion, indicating strong market demand and growth potential.
- Positive Economic Data: The May Chicago PMI rose by 13.5 to 62.7, far surpassing expectations of 50.3, marking the fastest expansion pace in 4.25 years, which further bolstered market confidence in stocks.
- Oil Price Decline Benefits Stocks: Crude oil prices fell over 1% to a five-week low due to a preliminary agreement between the US and Iran, easing inflation concerns and supporting the upward trend in the stock market.
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- Investor Confidence in Okta: Okta achieved a record 30% gain on Friday, with better-than-expected results indicating that businesses are ramping up investments in identity security tools to combat the rising threat of bot attacks as they transition to agentic AI.
- ETF Performance Surge: The iShares Expanded Tech-Software ETF rose 8% this week and is up 21% for May, marking its best monthly performance since October 2001, signaling a gradual recovery of market confidence in the software sector.
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- Snowflake's Stellar Performance: Snowflake's stock surged nearly 50% in the four trading days following the holiday, announcing a $6 billion cloud and chip deal with Amazon while raising guidance, reflecting a growing demand for AI tools among customers.
- Okta's Record Growth: Okta's stock jumped 30% on Friday, exceeding market expectations, with the CEO stating that businesses are investing more in identity security tools to tackle AI-driven security challenges, highlighting strong demand in the identity management market.
- Strong Performance from Other Software Firms: Atlassian rose 26%, ServiceNow surged over 20%, and cloud infrastructure giants Oracle and Microsoft increased by 16% and nearly 8%, respectively, although Microsoft remains down nearly 7% year-to-date.
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- Software Stock Rally: The iShares Expanded Tech-Software ETF (IGV) has surged 35% since its April low, with a 5% increase on Friday, indicating strong market confidence in software stocks and suggesting further upward momentum in the tech sector.
- Active Options Trading: On Friday, IGV options trading volume exceeded five times the daily average of the past 30 days, with over 50,000 calls purchased compared to just under 6,000 puts, reflecting a strong bullish sentiment among investors.
- Shift in Capital Flows: Total trading in IGV options reached $140 million, with $120 million in call contracts, surpassing the semiconductor ETF SMH, indicating a growing preference for the software sector over semiconductors.
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- Tech vs. Cost Comparison: For the first time, the cost of AI technology is on par with human labor, compelling companies to make difficult choices between tech investments and workforce resources, a situation unprecedented in history that could lead to fundamental changes in business operations.
- Inefficiency Challenges: Despite the power of AI technology, its inefficiency is evident, with 95% of enterprise AI usage still relying on the most expensive frontier models, necessitating optimization in model selection to reduce costs and enhance overall profitability.
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- Market Surge: The S&P 500 rose by 0.21%, the Dow Jones Industrial Average increased by 0.65%, and the Nasdaq 100 climbed by 0.25%, with all three indices reaching new all-time highs, reflecting strong market confidence in economic recovery.
- Tech Stocks Rally: Dell Technologies surged over 31% after reporting Q1 total revenue of $43.84 billion, significantly exceeding the consensus estimate of $35.52 billion, and raised its 2027 revenue forecast to $165 billion to $169 billion, indicating robust demand for AI infrastructure.
- Positive Economic Indicators: The May MNI Chicago PMI jumped 13.5 to 62.7, well above the expected 50.3, marking the strongest expansion pace in 4.25 years, which supports the bullish sentiment in the stock market.
- Oil Price Decline: Crude oil prices fell more than 1% to a five-week low as the US and Iran tentatively agreed to extend a ceasefire, easing inflation concerns and fostering optimism about the economic outlook.
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