New York, Jan 16, 2026, 17:37 (EST) — Trading in after-hours
- Oracle shares climbed roughly 0.7%, closing near $191.09 on Friday, after fluctuating between $186.60 and $192.09 throughout the session.
- A regulatory filing revealed that Oracle’s chief financial officer offloaded 35,000 shares through a pre-arranged trading plan.
- Credit strategists point to increased AI-driven borrowing among “hyperscalers,” spotlighting Oracle’s funding costs.
Oracle Corp shares gained roughly 0.7%, reaching $191.09 in late trading Friday, following a rise during the regular session. Investors digested a new insider sale disclosure amid ongoing concerns over debt-fueled AI infrastructure investments.
This shift is significant since Oracle has caught the attention of traders amid climbing funding costs for firms expanding data centers. Stock investors now have to adopt a credit investor mindset, tracking borrowing expenses as carefully as cloud demand.
Barclays on Thursday projected U.S. corporate bond issuance hitting $2.46 trillion in 2026, driven largely by AI hyperscalers, Reuters reported. The cost to insure hyperscaler debt via credit default swaps (CDS) has climbed, with Oracle’s five-year CDS more than tripling since its bond deal last September, data from MUFG shows. Reuters also noted bondholders sued Oracle this week, claiming losses after the company failed to disclose plans to issue substantial additional debt for expanding its AI infrastructure. (Reuters)
A filing revealed that Oracle’s executive vice president and principal financial officer, Douglas A. Kehring, sold 35,000 shares of Oracle on Jan. 15 at $194.89 each, netting roughly $6.82 million. The Form 144 filing noted the sale was executed under a Rule 10b5-1 plan established on Oct. 9, 2025 — a preset trading schedule for insiders. (SEC)
The broader market showed little movement ahead of the long weekend. Anthony Saglimbene, chief market strategist at Ameriprise Financial, called the S&P 500 holding near 7,000 “a win” for most investors. Reuters noted that U.S. markets will be closed on Monday for the Martin Luther King Jr. holiday. (Reuters)
Kehring’s sale is minor compared to Oracle’s daily volume and total shares outstanding, yet insider moves often rattle short-term traders—especially when a stock is already viewed through a “risk” filter.
The downside is clear. Rising borrowing costs at Oracle, or prolonged bondholder litigation, could push the market to require a steeper discount on the company’s AI investments before rewarding any growth.
Traders will keep an eye on whether credit spreads — the extra yield on corporate bonds versus Treasuries — widen again, since that can quickly weigh on sentiment for key stocks.
The next key date is Tuesday, Jan. 20, when U.S. markets return from Monday’s holiday and Oracle plans to roll out its January Critical Patch Update. According to Oracle’s pre-release notice, this update will deliver 336 new security patches spanning multiple products. (Oracle)
