Oracle Raises Capital Expenditure Forecast by $15 Billion Amid AI Spending Concerns
Written by Emily J. Thompson, Senior Investment Analyst
Updated: Dec 12 2025
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Should l Buy ORCL?
Source: Newsfilter
- Capital Expenditure Warning: Oracle has raised its fiscal 2026 capital expenditure forecast by $15 billion compared to September estimates, leading to a stock price drop of up to 16.5% on Thursday, reflecting market anxiety over the returns on its AI investments.
- Market Reaction: The decline in Oracle's shares negatively impacted other tech stocks, intensifying investor concerns about AI spending, although the S&P 500 index remained at a record high, demonstrating market resilience.
- Investor Sentiment Shift: As investors become more selective in the AI space, the previously strong correlation between aggressive capital spending and stock prices has significantly weakened, indicating growing concerns about a potential AI bubble.
- Industry Outlook: Despite worries about an AI bubble, some investors believe that major tech companies are still struggling to meet the relentless demand for data centers, suggesting that long-term growth potential in the AI sector remains intact.
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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: 194.590
Low
180.00
Averages
309.59
High
400.00
Current: 194.590
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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- Investment Concerns: Despite strong cloud performance, analysts express concerns over reliance on Anthropic, which could account for over 40% of future contracted revenue, reminiscent of Oracle's situation, potentially impacting investor confidence.
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- Cloud Growth Surge: Alphabet's cloud backlog nearly doubled to $462 billion, indicating robust growth potential in AI-related businesses, with analysts suggesting this will provide a solid foundation for future revenue increases.
- Investor Confidence: JPMorgan named Alphabet as their “top overall pick” in the tech sector, highlighting its leading position in the AI market and profitability, signaling optimistic expectations for its future performance.
- Risk Warning: Despite the market's optimism, analysts express concerns over Anthropic's $200 billion cloud commitment, which could represent over 40% of Alphabet's future contracted revenue, cautioning investors about potential concentration risks.
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- Surge in Capital Expenditures: Wall Street analysts now forecast that capital expenditures among the top five hyperscalers will increase nearly 80% to $805 billion in 2026, exceeding previous estimates, which will directly boost demand for Nvidia's GPUs.
- Future Valuation Potential: Brad Gerstner, founder of Altimeter Capital, believes Nvidia is severely undervalued and could reach a market cap of $10 trillion, implying about 100% upside, reflecting the market's underestimation of AI infrastructure demand.
- Rapid Product Iteration: Nvidia plans to shorten its GPU update cycle to 12-18 months, compared to the typical 3-5 years for custom chips, a strategy that will help maintain its technological edge and further solidify its market position in the coming years.
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- Surge in Capital Expenditure: Morgan Stanley forecasts that capital expenditures among the top five hyperscalers will increase nearly 80% to $805 billion by 2026, which will further drive demand for Nvidia's GPUs and solidify its status as the industry standard.
- Optimistic Future Valuation: Altimeter Capital's CEO Brad Gerstner believes Nvidia will become the first $10 trillion company, while I/O Fund's Beth Kindig predicts a market cap of $20 trillion by 2030, indicating significant upside potential for shareholders.
- Accelerated Technology Update Cycle: Nvidia plans to shorten its GPU update cycle to 12-18 months, compared to competitors' 3-5 year cycles, a strategy that will help it maintain a leading edge in a rapidly evolving market and enhance its market appeal.
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- Strategic Portfolio: Last year, Nvidia invested $17.5 billion in private companies and infrastructure funds, primarily to support early-stage startups, further deepening and broadening its ecosystem reach.
- Strengthened Partnerships: The $3.2 billion investment in Corning will drive innovation in optical technologies, with plans to build three new facilities, enhancing its capabilities in handling AI workloads.
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- Massive Investment Plans: Nvidia announced this week plans to invest up to $3.2 billion in glass maker Corning and $2.1 billion in data center operator IREN, demonstrating its aggressive strategy to enhance its competitive edge in the AI infrastructure sector through acquisitions and commercial partnerships.
- Significant Investment Returns: Nvidia's $5 billion investment in Intel last year has now appreciated to over $25 billion, reflecting the success of its investment strategy and further solidifying its leadership position in the AI market.
- Ecosystem Expansion: In 2026, Nvidia has already committed over $40 billion in investments across various public equities, indicating its dedication to building a comprehensive AI supply chain that ensures widespread application of its hardware and meets market demand.
- Positive Market Reaction: Following Nvidia's investment agreements with IREN and Corning, shares of both companies surged, showcasing market confidence in Nvidia's investment strategy and further propelling its market capitalization to approximately $5.2 trillion.
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