Given our expectations of a solid quarter and an upbeat conference call, we believe Oracle represents a good near-term play. If we are right, Oracle's results could spur an upward move in the overall software sector as a whole, a sector that has clearly been under pressure lately.
Although it's still early in the quarter, we worry that what is typically a strong quarter for Oracle could prove to be unusually weak given the tough U.S. macroeconomic environment and potentially weakening conditions in International markets.
We believe that the chances of Oracle hitting consensus estimates for its May quarter are low.