Stocks get Oracle boost but financial woes persist

Date: Thu, 20 Dec 2007 17:01:16 (GMT)

Stocks get Oracle boost but financial woes persist

U.S. stocks remain in positive territory but lose an early boost
provided by software-maker Oracle Corp.'s 35% profit rise, as bond
insurer MBIA Inc. reports a large exposure to risky debt and Bear
Stearns posts its first-ever quarterly loss.

Bear Stearns swings to loss; executive bonuses scotched

Bear Stearns Cos. posts its first-ever quarterly loss as the company's
mortgage-related write-down grew to $1.9 billion after credit markets
worsened last month.

Oracle shares surge as earnings rise 35%

SAN FRANCISCO
Oracle Corp. shares surged as much as 8% Thursday after the
business-software giant topped Wall Street's expectations with a 35%
gain in its second-quarter earnings.

IPO Report: NetSuite sees mixed debut in trading following IPO

SAN FRANCISCO
NetSuite Inc. was off to a mixed start Thursday morning as a publicly
traded company, as the software maker's shares went on a rollercoaster
ride shortly after the opening bell.

FedEx sputters with lower profit as fuel costs soar

NEW YORK
FedEx Corp.'s shares came under selling pressure Thursday, slipping as
the economic bellwether's second-quarter earnings fell 6% because of
higher fuel prices and a soft U.S. economy, offset in part by continued
strong growth overseas.