Oracle's Alarming Level of Debt -- Barrons.com

Dow Jones
Yesterday

To the Editor: I made some money by heeding Barron's call to invest in Oracle a few years back, but liquidated my positions long before the price skyrocketed (" Larry Ellison's Latest Gambit to Keep Oracle on Top Is His Biggest Bet Ever," Cover Story, Oct. 10). No regrets. I don't understand how a company of this size, and one led by an octogenarian, can operate with such high levels of debt. Is the risk commensurate with the potential rewards? Or does it portend something alarming about the market?

L.K. Shiu On Barrons.com

From Dollars to Gold

To the Editor: The premise of the 1981 film Rollover is that the Saudis had large Eurodollar deposits that they kept rolling over (" Gold's Rally Reflects the U.S. Deficit. Neither Is Ending Soon," The Economy, Oct. 10). A large amount matured, but losing faith in the dollar, they invested it in gold. Word gets out and everything goes south. So far, it has been a slow drip, drip, drip for the dollar, but I wouldn't rule out a sudden shock.

Gene Sweet Chicago

A Capital Suggestion

To the Editor: Take a look at Capital Southwest (" BDCs Yield 10% or More. They May Be Worth the Risk," Oct. 10). It's smaller but well managed, and it increased distributions by 30% in the past five years. It often takes equity participation as well as interest. The market recognizes quality: It trades at a premium to its net assets and still has a double-digit cash yield.

Larry Fellman On Barrons.com

The Case for OpenAI

To the Editor: In less than two years, OpenAI's ChatGPT has become nearly ubiquitous (" Bubble or Not, the AI Spending Binge Is Unprecedented in Every Way," Tech Trader, Oct. 10). ChatGPT already sees 2.5 billion prompts per day. Companies' initially cautious utilization of ChatGPT and similar technologies has enabled steadily increasing reductions in workforces across a swath of enterprises. These accelerating productivity improvements and resulting cost savings will soon be converted into powerful revenue streams for OpenAI and similar services.

Tom Routliffe Wakefield, R.I.

Uncharted Territory

To the Editor:

Anyone who becomes the next Federal Reserve chair is going to enter uncharted territory (" Kevin Warsh Says Jerome Powell Has Failed. Inside the Mind of the Man Who May Lead the Trump Fed," Oct. 12). Tariffs, government downsizing, international instability, and downward pressure on gross domestic product due to immigration policies will all be factors that make the job challenging.

Edward Olejniczak On Barrons.com

Send letters to: mail@barrons.com. To be considered for publication, correspondence must bear the writer's name, address, and phone number. Letters are subject to editing.

This content was created by Barron's, which is operated by Dow Jones & Co. Barron's is published independently from Dow Jones Newswires and The Wall Street Journal.

 

(END) Dow Jones Newswires

October 17, 2025 18:45 ET (22:45 GMT)

Copyright (c) 2025 Dow Jones & Company, Inc.

At the request of the copyright holder, you need to log in to view this content

Disclaimer: Investing carries risk. This is not financial advice. The above content should not be regarded as an offer, recommendation, or solicitation on acquiring or disposing of any financial products, any associated discussions, comments, or posts by author or other users should not be considered as such either. It is solely for general information purpose only, which does not consider your own investment objectives, financial situations or needs. TTM assumes no responsibility or warranty for the accuracy and completeness of the information, investors should do their own research and may seek professional advice before investing.

Most Discussed

  1. 1
     
     
     
     
  2. 2
     
     
     
     
  3. 3
     
     
     
     
  4. 4
     
     
     
     
  5. 5
     
     
     
     
  6. 6
     
     
     
     
  7. 7
     
     
     
     
  8. 8
     
     
     
     
  9. 9
     
     
     
     
  10. 10