New York, January 26, 2026, 17:56 EST — Trading continues after hours.
Oracle Corp shares climbed roughly 3% Monday, closing at $182.44. It marked a standout day for the software giant after several weeks of uneven trading. The stock fluctuated between $175.70 and $185.27, with volume hitting around 21 million shares.
The bounce counts because Oracle remains a hot topic among big tech stocks: investors demand growth from its cloud strategy but remain wary of the AI infrastructure costs. One positive day won’t erase those concerns, yet it signals buyers are still ready to pounce when the headlines align.
This time, the spotlight isn’t just on enterprise software. Oracle has found itself caught up in the TikTok shakeup—a rare turn for a company known mainly for corporate databases and cloud deals.
TikTok’s Chinese parent company ByteDance announced last week it has sealed a deal to create a majority American-owned joint venture, TikTok USDS Joint Venture LLC, designed to protect U.S. user data and dodge a U.S. ban. Oracle, Silver Lake, and Abu Dhabi-based MGX will each own 15% of the new entity, with ByteDance holding onto 19.9%, according to Reuters. The company said the venture plans to host and secure the recommendation algorithm on Oracle’s U.S. cloud. (Reuters)
Oracle’s jump came amid a broadly positive day. The S&P 500 climbed 0.50%, the Dow added 0.64%, Microsoft rose 0.93%, and both Alphabet share classes were up roughly 1.6%. Even with Monday’s gains, Oracle remains about 47% off its 52-week high from September. (MarketWatch)
On Monday, a Seeking Alpha note described Oracle’s TikTok stake as a strategic pivot, highlighting it as the company’s first “foray into a consumer business,” according to analyst Gary Alexander. That perspective is gaining traction among investors as they wrestle with valuing what appears, for now, to be mainly a governance and security play with uncertain financial upside. (Seeking Alpha)
Macro factors are also in play. The Federal Reserve is widely expected to keep its benchmark rate steady this week, holding it between 3.50% and 3.75%, Reuters reported. This environment often weighs on high-flying tech stocks. “Trump will need greater turnover at the Fed to fully control the institution,” said Tim Duy, chief U.S. economist at SGH Macro Advisors. Oxford Economics’ Michael Pearce described the “near-term outlook” as “benign.” (Reuters)
Oracle released a smaller update on Monday, announcing that contract research organization Voisin Consulting Life Sciences has selected Oracle Argus, a safety platform for pharmacovigilance. “Oracle Argus provides the advanced features, configurability, and reporting requirements we need to scale our operations,” said Dr. Emmanuelle Voisin, VCLS founder and CEO. Oracle Health and Life Sciences executive vice president Seema Verma described the move as a clear indication that regulated life sciences firms require “a dependable, advanced safety solution.” (Oracle)
The stock isn’t without its rough spots. The TikTok setup raises major questions about data management and political risk, but the deal hasn’t offered much clarity on how Oracle’s technology and cloud services will be paid for.
Investors remain focused on Oracle’s balance sheet amid its AI expansion. Earlier this month, bondholders filed a lawsuit against Oracle over its disclosures related to financing AI infrastructure. The complaint described the bond market’s response to the company’s extra debt as “swift and bracing.” Oracle has so far declined to comment, according to Reuters. (Reuters)
On Tuesday, traders will focus on what Oracle actually pockets from the TikTok deal and if more clients are ready to commit long-term to its cloud services, particularly with borrowing costs remaining steep.
Wednesday brings the next key market event: the Fed’s policy announcement at 2:00 p.m. EST, with the chair’s press conference set for 2:30 p.m., per the central bank’s official calendar. (Federal Reserve)
