Oracle stock slipped about 2.5% in pre-open trading to $140.77 after jumping nearly 6% in the prior session, as attention shifted from partnership-driven optimism to intensifying credit worries.
Market participants cited a widely circulated report showing Oracle’s five-year credit default swap spread has risen to an all-time high near 215 basis points - a level that exceeds the peak reached during the 2008 financial crisis. That move in CDS pricing has been interpreted as a signal of elevated market concern that the company’s debt-fueled expansion of AI infrastructure could be pressuring its financial position.
The company’s borrowings have grown substantially, reaching approximately $129.5 billion, and Oracle recorded negative free cash flow of roughly $23.7 billion in fiscal 2026, according to the figures cited by market observers. These metrics have contributed to a reassessment of the firm’s creditworthiness among investors.
Rating agencies have reflected that reassessment. S&P Global Ratings downgraded Oracle to BBB- in July 2026, placing the company at the lowest rung of investment-grade ratings. Moody’s has maintained a negative outlook, leaving Oracle one notch away from moving into non-investment-grade territory - a shift that could prompt forced selling by funds restricted to holding investment-grade bonds.
Sentiment had improved on Monday after Oracle announced an expanded partnership with Google Cloud to integrate Gemini AI models into Oracle’s software suites, a development that helped fuel the prior session’s rally. However, in pre-market trading that enthusiasm waned as the market refocused on structural credit concerns ahead of Oracle’s next earnings report, which is estimated to be released on September 8, 2026.
The broader market offered limited support for the stock’s bounce. The NASDAQ traded modestly lower while the S&P 500 and the Dow Jones Industrial Average were only marginally higher, creating a mixed backdrop that did little to counterbalance company-specific headwinds.
Oracle remains a laggard among large-cap players in the AI infrastructure space. Even after the recent uptick, its shares are still down roughly 28% year-to-date, and the 52-week high sits at $345.72 - leaving a substantial gap between market expectations tied to AI demand and the company’s current financial metrics.
Analysts and investors note that the combination of record-high costs for default protection, a near-junk credit rating, sizable lease commitments reported off the balance sheet, and the partial reversal of the sentiment-driven rally helps explain the stock’s pre-market decline. With shares trading near $140.77, those credit-related concerns continue to weigh on investor confidence.
Summary - Oracle’s pre-market decline follows a large rally as credit-market signals, including a record-high five-year CDS spread of roughly 215 basis points, raise doubts about whether increasing debt tied to AI infrastructure growth is stretching the balance sheet. S&P downgraded the company to BBB- in July 2026, Moody’s holds a negative outlook, and the next earnings estimate is September 8, 2026.