The tech firm’s stock has plummeted 30% so far this quarter, CNBC noted Friday.

Only four trading days remain — and the stock is staring down its steepest drop since the 2001 aftermath of the dot-com meltdown.

Shares of Larry Ellison’s Oracle are heading for worst quarter since 2001. SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images

Wall Street is losing faith in Oracle’s capacity to crank out new server farms for OpenAI, even after the artificial intelligence giant agreed to spend over $300 billion with the tech firm.

Earlier this month, Oracle reported weaker-than-expected quarterly revenue and free cash flow, and on the earnings call, newly appointed finance boss Doug Kehring called for $50 billion in fiscal 2026 capital expenditures — 43% higher than the plan in September and double the total from a year earlier.

Additionally, Oracle is plotting $248 billion in leases to boost cloud capacity, on top of building data centers, CNBC reported.

That kind of growth won’t come cheap — it’ll take boatloads of debt.

Oracle piled on $18B in a jumbo bond sale in September, one of the biggest ever in the tech industry. Top brass vowed to protect the company’s investment-grade rating, but wary investors aren’t buying it, driving up the cost of insuring Oracle’s debt.

“Considering Oracle is already barely hanging on to an investment grade rating, we would be concerned about Oracle’s ability to live up to these obligations without restructuring its OpenAI contract,” analysts at D.A. Davidson wrote in a note to clients on Dec. 12.

They have the equivalent of a hold rating on the stock.

Oracle did not comment.

Oracle’s stock has plummeted 30% so far this quarter. Only four trading days remain — and the stock is staring down its steepest drop since the dot-com meltdown. REUTERS

This comes just months after Oracle named Clay Magouyrk and Mike Sicilia as its new CEOs, replacing Safra Catz, who was instrumental in shaping the company’s cloud strategy and thrusting it to the forefront of the ongoing AI boom with big contract wins.

Just two weeks before the transition, Oracle reported about a jaw-dropping 359% surge in revenue backlog tied heavily to OpenAI’s blockbuster commitment.

When news of the OpenAI pact broke on Sept. 10, Oracle stock went into overdrive, rocketing nearly 36% — the third-biggest rally since its 1986 IPO — and hitting an intraday record of $345.72 per share.

“We think $340 was terrifying,” said Zachary Lountzis, vice president at Lountzis Asset Management, told CNBC.

The firm held $25 million in Oracle shares as of Sept. 30, according to a filing.

Wall Street is losing faith in Oracle’s capacity to crank out new server farms for OpenAI, even after the AI giant agreed to spend over $300 billion with the tech firm. Getty Images

Lountzis’s fear proved prescient.

Oracle shares subsequently cratered 43%, closing Wednesday at $197.49 — though the stock caught a brief bump last Friday after TikTok agreed to sell part of its US business to Oracle and other investors. Oracle has long provided cloud services to the social media giant.

“Our philosophy is that we’re OK with short-term overvaluation if the economics of the business have not changed, and that was the case with Oracle,” Lountzis said.

“We didn’t feel the economics of the business changed with all the largely positive news that came out. And I think what we’ve seen from $340 down to $180 is actually a very healthy correction.” 

For Lountzis, much of his trust in Oracle comes down to Larry Ellison, who founded the company in 1977 and is now the world’s second-richest person, according to Bloomberg.

“You would have gone bankrupt 40 times betting against Larry over the last 50 years,” Lountzis said. “He sees the future.”

Oracle named Clay Magouyrk (above) and Mike Sicilia as its new CEOs. The two men have laid out their vision for supercharging the company’s growth. Oracle

Others on Wall Street are not so sure.

That’s despite the new execs’ long-term vision for stronger growth in the next four to five years, with revenue set to step up to $225 billion in the 2030 fiscal year from $57 billion in fiscal 2025.

Eric Lynch, managing director at Florida’s Suncoast Equity Management, said it’s hard as an investor to get comfortable with Oracle’s plans. The company said much of its projected growth will come from artificial intelligence infrastructure, with Nvidia’s graphics processing units at the center of it.

“Four or five years is a long time,” Lynch said. “That’s just not within our investment discipline.”

Lynch added that he’s concerned about such heavy dependance on OpenAI, which is burning cash at a rapid rate and has committed to more than $1.4 trillion in total AI build-outs and investments.

“Will the demand be there from OpenAI?” Lynch said.

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The Dow fell 798 points, or 1.7% — its worst day in more than a month after notching a new record high just the day before. The S&P 500 slipped 1.9%, led downward by Disney, which fell 8% after it reported disappointing revenue.

The tech-heavy Nasdaq slipped 2.3% as investors continued to panic over whether AI stocks have been massively overvalued, worsening a sell-off that started last week.

The Dow Jones Industrial Average plunged more than 700 points Thursday as investors continued to panic over AI spending. AP

Although the Nasdaq opened strong Thursday, investors quickly pulled back on companies that have been shelling out massive amounts of capital on pricey, power-hungry data centers.

The “Magnificent Seven” tech firms – which have pledged billions of dollars to AI efforts – were battered as shares in Nvidia, Broadcom and Tesla fell 3.6%, 4.3% and 6.6%, respectively.

Alphabet and Amazon each fell about 3%. Shares in Microsoft dipped 1.6% while Meta traded roughly flat.

Meanwhile, the US government reopened on Thursday after its longest-ever shutdown. 

The “Magnificent Seven” tech firms – which have pledged billions of dollars to AI efforts – were battered. REUTERS

“While that is a relief for markets and the economy, there is still plenty of uncertainty, particularly around the missed inflation and jobs data and how these fronts have been faring,” Carol Schleif, chief market strategist at BMO Private Wealth, said in a note Thursday.

She noted that monthly jobs and inflation data – which was almost entirely put on pause during the 43-day shutdown – is “so vital for interest rate expectations.”

Investors worried that the lack of government data could prevent the Fed from slashing interest rates. AP

National Economic Council Director Kevin Hassett said Thursday that the October jobs report will be released after a delay, though it will not include the unemployment rate.

Investors worried that the lack of data could prevent the Fed from slashing interest rates during its Dec. 10 meeting, since officials have been flying blind on guidance without government data.

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The odds of a quarter-point cut plunged to 51.9% on Thursday – a more than 10% drop from the previous day, according to CME FedWatch.

White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said Wednesday that October inflation and jobs reports may never be released, adding that the government shutdown could hit fourth-quarter GDP by as much as 2 percentage points.

“While we have always expected that many of the data points missed during the shutdown will remain dark, there are questions about what the inflation and jobs data will look like once these reports come back online,” Schleif said.

“We would not be surprised to see some market chop over the coming weeks as the government gears and economic data presses get turning again.”

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An in-person queer book club I’m in picked A Two-Spirit Journey: The Autobiography of a Lesbian Ojibwa-Cree Elder by Ma-Nee Chacaby, which I’ve been meaning to read for quite a while. I’m really glad I finally picked it up. The writing is quite matter-of-fact, which could be jarring, but the content is unforgettable. Ma-Nee Chacaby has gone through so much in her life, and her ability to continue to show up for people is incredible. I definitely recommend it.

For another queer in-person book club (I told you I had a lot of reading obligations this month!), I read A Psalm for the Wild-Built by Becky Chambers. I love queer cozy fantasy, so I always expected that when I finally picked up this very popular nonbinary cozy sci-fi book, I’d love it. Surprisingly, I wasn’t a big fan. I think it would make a great graphic novel or movie, but the parable-like story just didn’t connect with me, which was disappointing.

Another one of my lowlights for the reading month was I Can Fix Her by Rae Wilde. This is a horror novella about a toxic relationship between two women. I liked the premise, but the “nightmare logic” (as the blurb puts it) was a little much for me: it felt like it was mostly dark, surreal visuals. But lots of other readers loved it!

I read the second volume of The Guy She Was Interested in Wasn’t a Guy at All by Sumiko Arai, which is a delightful YA F/F manga. I’ve talked about it before, so I’ll just say that I’m definitely continuing with the series.

For the All the Books podcast, I read The Original by Nell Stevens, a queer historical fiction book with gothic elements. I had a feeling I’d be a fan of Nell Stevens’s writing, and I was right. This story about family curses, a maybe-imposter heir, and queerness in 1899 was captivating. You can hear my full thoughts on the July 1st episode!

Then I picked up Slayers, Every One of Us by Kristin Russo and Jenny Owen Youngs, a joint memoir from the creators of the Buffering the Vampire Slayer podcast. I really enjoyed that podcast, and when I first started the book, I thought I’d already heard most of these stories. As it continued, though, I got much more of a look into their divorce and how difficult it was to keep doing the podcast together through that. It’s a vulnerable look at a painful time of their lives. Obviously, if you listened to Buffering, you should read this—and if you’re a Buffy fan who hasn’t, start there!

Right now, I’m trying to complete my final reading obligation for the month: Eat the Ones You Love by Sarah Maria Griffin for the BooksAndLala book club. I don’t usually participate, but since I watched Little Shop of Horrors in preparation, I do want to get to it in time. I’ve only just started, but I’m hoping to finish it by the end of the month.

I’m not sure what I’ll be reading next. I have Boyfriends, Vol. 4 by Refrainbow out from the library right now, which I’m excited about. This is a very cute (almost too cute) M/M/M/M graphic novel I’ve been having a great time reading. I also hope to get to Hijab Butch Blues by Lamya H soon, which—you guessed it—I’m reading for a book club.

The post The Best (and Worst) Queer Books I Read in June appeared first on Our Story Insight.

Nearly one in five US packaged foods and drinks contain synthetic food dyes, according to a startling new study of 40,000 grocery items.

The findings come amid a push by Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. to eliminate petroleum-based food colorings from the nation’s food supply.

Researchers analyzed the ingredients in products beloved by children — candy, sugary beverages, ready-to-eat meals, breakfast cereals and baked goods like cakes, cookies and pastries. REUTERS

While regulatory agencies have generally considered artificial food dyes safe, a growing body of research suggests they may be linked to hyperactivity, irritability and other potential health issues in kids.

“Given the accumulation of evidence over the last 40 years pointing to the health harms of synthetic dyes, it’s disappointing to see that they’re still so prevalent in our food system, particularly in products that are designed to appeal to children,” said Elizabeth Dunford, a research fellow at The George Institute for Global Health.

Dunford’s team evaluated the ingredients in products beloved by children — candy, sugary beverages, ready-to-eat meals, breakfast cereals and baked goods like cakes, cookies and pastries.

Some 28% of these items contained synthetic dyes compared to 11% of other types of fare, according to the findings published Wednesday in the Journal of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics.

The Food and Drug Administration announced plans in April to phase out six dyes — Blue 1, Blue 2, Green 3, Red 40, Yellow 5 and Yellow 6 — by the end of 2026. rfaraino

The researchers determined that confectionery companies had the most products with synthetic dyes. Ferrero (60%) and Mars (52%) were named the “worst offenders.”

Around 79% of sports drinks were found to have these dyes, with researchers highlighting that 51% of PepsiCo’s energy drinks contain them.

The Post reached out to these companies for comment.

“Ferrero and its related affiliated companies, including Ferrara Candy Company, are and will continue to be in compliance with local, state and federal laws and regulations, including those related to food additives. Our products are safe to enjoy,” a Ferrero spokesperson told The Post.

PepsiCo said in April that it has been phasing out artificial colors.

Remarkably, the average sugar content of synthetically dyed products was more than double that of foods without the dyes, the study also found.

“The high levels of sugar in these brightly colored products suggests that companies are using synthetic dyes to market sweet foods and beverages, but both ingredients are linked to poor health outcomes,” said Dunford, an adjunct assistant professor in the Department of Nutrition at the University of North Carolina.

Colorful candies are shown in a bowl with small flags indicating food additives. Natalia – stock.adobe.com

The study was denounced by the National Confectioners Association (NCA), which accused the researchers of “major gaps in their analysis.”

“For instance, this report measures the amount of dyes in the food system but ignores exposure to consumers,” Christopher Gindlesperger, NCA senior vice president of public affairs and communications, told The Post in a statement.

“According to the federal government’s National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES), people in the US enjoy chocolate and candy two to three times per week, averaging just 40 calories and about one teaspoon of added sugar per day — which is far less than the other categories of food examined.”

The Food and Drug Administration already announced plans in April to phase out six dyes — Blue 1, Blue 2, Green 3, Red 40, Yellow 5 and Yellow 6 — by the end of 2026.

Two other dyes, Citrus Red No. 2 and Orange B, are on the chopping block as well.

Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has been pushing to eliminate petroleum-based food colorings from the nation’s food supply. Getty Images

RFK Jr. also encouraged companies to speed up their removal of Red No. 3, which is supposed to be out of food by January 2027.

Several states have taken separate action to regulate or ban certain synthetic dyes used in food.

While these rules take effect, Dunford recommends parents and consumers check ingredient labels for synthetic dyes and high levels of added sugar.

“If a product contains either, you are better off not buying it, especially for your kids,” she said.

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I read a lot of queer books, and I don’t always have an opportunity to talk about them on Our Queerest Shelves. So, I thought I’d give you an update of all the queer books I read last month. In April, that was eight titles, including graphic novels. Half of those I really enjoyed. A few weren’t 100% for me, but that’s just because they weren’t my particular taste. One, though, was the rare book I actually gave one star, and I feel extremely justified in that—in fact, I can’t believe it got published at all. Let’s get into it!

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