Stocks Plunge as Oil Prices Surge Amid Geopolitical Tensions
Written by Emily J. Thompson, Senior Investment Analyst
Updated: Mar 05 2026
0mins
Should l Buy CRM?
Source: CNBC
- Market Decline: On Thursday, the Dow Jones Industrial Average plummeted over 800 points, primarily due to rising oil prices, with U.S. crude briefly exceeding $79 per barrel, marking the highest level since June 2025, indicating the market's sensitivity to geopolitical tensions.
- Oil Price Volatility: Iran's missile strike on an oil tanker and subsequent closure of the Strait of Hormuz, along with threats to attack vessels in the area, have heightened market anxiety, prompting investors to navigate this volatile environment with caution.
- Costco Membership Concerns: Costco shares fell nearly 2.5% ahead of its earnings report, despite strong same-store sales momentum; however, declining membership renewal rates, particularly among online sign-ups, pose a challenge to the company's long-term growth prospects.
- Salesforce Stock Recovery: Salesforce shares rose nearly 5.5%, potentially signaling a rotation back into software stocks; while its core business faces pressure, Jim Cramer emphasized the positive outlook for Agentforce in the AI sector, suggesting a glass-half-full perspective on the company's future.
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Analyst Views on CRM
Wall Street analysts forecast CRM stock price to rise
39 Analyst Rating
29 Buy
9 Hold
1 Sell
Moderate Buy
Current: 185.030
Low
223.00
Averages
326.40
High
405.00
Current: 185.030
Low
223.00
Averages
326.40
High
405.00
About CRM
Salesforce, Inc. is a customer relationship management (CRM) technology company. Its artificial intelligence (AI) powered Agentforce 360 Platform offers sales, service, marketing, commerce, collaboration, data management, integration, analytics, and information technology (IT) service solutions. It enables customers to build and deploy digital labor for employees and customers, leveraging autonomous AI agents across business functions. Its service offerings include Agentforce Sales, Agentforce Service, Agentforce 360 Platform, Slack and Others. The Agentforce Sales provides sales capabilities and tools built for organizations across prospecting, sales engagement, team collaboration, sales analytics and AI, sales programs, sales performance, partner management, and revenue and orders. The Agentforce Service provides field service solutions that enable companies to connect service agents, dispatchers and mobile employees through platform to schedule, dispatch and manage jobs.
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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- Strong Stock Performance: Salesforce has achieved an average annual return of 16.56% over the past 20 years, outperforming the S&P 500 by 7.99%, indicating robust market performance that attracts investor interest.
- Stock Split History: In its 22-year history, Salesforce has executed only one stock split, a 4-for-1 split in April 2013, increasing authorized shares from 400 million to 1.6 billion, reflecting management's confidence in future growth.
- Market Impact of Splits: Stock splits typically enhance liquidity and trading volume while reducing volatility, sending a psychological signal of management's confidence in the company's future, which can trigger short-term buying momentum.
- Investor Psychology: Although stock splits do not fundamentally alter a company's value, they make shares more accessible to individual investors, particularly in a market where high-priced stocks are prevalent, thereby encouraging broader investment participation.
See More
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- Auction Details: Online bidding will open on May 7 and run through May 14, with proceeds benefiting Glide Foundation and the Eat. Learn. Play. Foundation, which focuses on childhood literacy, nutrition, and active lifestyles.
- Historical Achievements: In 2022, Buffett's lunch auction reached a record winning bid of $19 million, raising over $50 million in total over the past two decades, showcasing its significant impact and appeal in the charity sector.
- Celebrity Appeal: The event attracts numerous prominent investors, and Buffett's collaboration with Curry not only enhances the charity lunch's visibility but also offers participants a unique opportunity to engage directly with legendary figures in the investment community.
See More
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- Arm's New Chip Strategy: Arm Holdings has launched the new Arm AGI CPU chip, projecting annual revenue of $15 billion by 2031, which will elevate total revenue to $25 billion, indicating strong growth potential in the AI data center market.
- Analyst Rating Upgrade: Needham upgraded Arm's stock to a buy with a price target of $200 per share, representing a 45% upside from the current price of $138, reflecting confidence in its new strategic direction.
- CrowdStrike's Growth Potential: Morgan Stanley upgraded CrowdStrike's rating to buy and raised the price target to $510, anticipating 20% annual revenue growth over the next few years, showcasing its strong performance in the cybersecurity sector.
- Platform Innovation Drive: CrowdStrike's Falcon Flex platform saw a 120% increase in annual recurring revenue, while the launch of the Charlotte AI AgentWorks ecosystem enhances customers' ability to customize security agents, further solidifying its market position.
See More
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- Arm Holdings' New Strategy: Arm Holdings has launched its own Arm AGI CPU chip, projecting annual revenue of $15 billion by 2031, raising total revenue to $25 billion, indicating significant growth potential in the AI data center market.
- CrowdStrike's Performance Boost: CrowdStrike's annual recurring revenue surged by 120% in the fourth quarter, receiving an upgrade from Morgan Stanley to a buy rating with a price target raised to $510, highlighting strong growth prospects in the cloud security sector.
- Investor Focus on High Valuations: While both Arm and CrowdStrike exhibit substantial growth potential, their stocks are considered overvalued at 61 times and 84 times forward earnings, respectively, prompting investors to carefully assess the associated risks and returns.
See More
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- Salesforce Cooling Core Business: Salesforce's total revenue for fiscal 2026 increased by 10% year-over-year to $41.5 billion, and while its AI initiatives contributed $2.9 billion in recurring revenue, the overall growth rate has notably slowed, with a price-to-earnings ratio of 24 suggesting a grounded valuation but lacking clear buy signals.
- Adobe's Strong Performance: Adobe's total revenue rose 12% year-over-year to $6.4 billion in Q1 2026, and despite a 31% drop in stock price year-to-date, its price-to-earnings ratio stands at just 14, reflecting a cheap valuation alongside a trailing free cash flow of $10.3 billion, indicating solid fundamentals.
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