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Oklo (OKLO) shares lost ground Thursday after jumping nearly 30% the previous session following news the nuclear power company had won an Air Force contract. 

Today’s slump came after Oklo late Wednesday announced a public offering of $400 million in common stock. The news partially offset the investor optimism sparked when the company said earlier Wednesday it had tentatively landed a “mission-critical” contract to provide nuclear energy to the Eielson Air Force Base in Alaska.

Oklo shares fell 5% to around $64.50 on Thursday. The stock has tripled in value since the start of 2025, fueled recently by President Donald Trump signing new executive orders aimed at boosting the nuclear energy industry. Stocks in the nuclear energy sector have risen over the last year due to the anticipation of growing energy needs to run data centers and train artificial intelligence models.

Below, we take a closer look at the technicals on Oklo’s chart and point out key price levels that investors will likely be watching.

Flag Pattern Breakout

Since bottoming out around the 200-day moving average (MA) in early April, Oklo shares have resumed their longer-term uptrend.

More recently, the stock consolidated in a bullish flag before breaking out above the pattern during Wednesday’s trading session. Importantly, the buying occurred on above-average volume, indicating that larger investors participated in the move higher.

It’s worth noting that, while the relative strength index confirms strong price momentum, the indicator has moved into territory that has coincided with brief consolidation periods in the stock over the past eight months.

Let’s apply technical analysis to forecast how a new move higher may play out and also identify key support levels worth watching during potential pullbacks.

Bars Pattern Analysis

Investors can forecast where Oklo shares may be heading next by using bars pattern analysis, a technique that analyzes prior trends to project future directional price movements.

When applying the analysis to Oklo’s chart, we take the stock’s impulsive move higher last October and overlay it from the flag pattern’s breakout point. This projects a bullish target of around $135 and indicates the trend may last throughout most of June.

We selected this prior trend as it followed an earlier flag pattern on the chart, providing an indication of how a new move from a similar pattern may take shape.

Key Support Levels Worth Watching

The first support level to watch sits around $55. A drop to this level could attract buying interest near the flag pattern’s breakout point and the stock’s prominent February swing high.

Finally, a more significant drop could see Oklo shares revisit lower support at the $32 level. Investors who seek a deeper correction could look for entry points in this region near minor peaks in January and March, which also closely align with the 50-day MA.

The comments, opinions, and analyses expressed on Investopedia are for informational purposes only. Read our warranty and liability disclaimer for more info.

As of the date this article was written, the author does not own any of the above securities.

Oracle (ORCL) stock hit an all-time high as it led S&P 500 gainers Thursday, a day after the tech giant’s fiscal fourth-quarter results topped analysts’ estimates.

The shares surged over 13% to close at a record high of $199.86 Thursday, bringing their year-to-date gains to about 20%.

CEO Safra Catz said the company’s fiscal 2025 was a “very good year,” but said she believes fiscal 2026 “will be even better as our revenue growth rates will be dramatically higher.”

The report made several analysts more bullish on Oracle, as the average price target compiled by Visible Alpha climbed to about $200, up roughly $26 from what it was on Wednesday morning, hours before the earnings report was released.

Thursday’s rally was also enough to send Oracle co-founder Larry Ellison back to the title of world’s second-richest person, according to Forbes.

This article has been updated since it was first published to reflect more recent share price values and analyst targets.

The U.S. dollar slumped to its lowest level since 2022 on Thursday, putting the greenback on track to have its worst start to a year in decades. 

The U.S. dollar index (DXY) slid as low as 98.6 Thursday morning, its lowest reading since March 2022, and more than 9% below where it started the year. The index has only shed more than 9% of its value during the first half of the year two other times since 1985, and the last was in 2002.

The dollar has slumped this year as investors have questioned both the U.S. economy’s outlook and America’s role within the global financial system. President Donald Trump’s unpredictable tariff policies and apparent desire to abdicate U.S. leadership of the post-war global economic order has sparked what Wall Street has dubbed the “Sell America” trade. 

Evidence of a global distaste for U.S. assets has shown up in the stock, bond, and foreign exchange markets. U.S. stocks severely underperformed equities in most developed markets in the first months of Trump’s second term as trade policy threatened to slow U.S. growth.

Treasurys and the dollar both tumbled in the days after Trump unveiled his “Liberation Day” tariffs, “a very unusual pattern,” former Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen said at the time. The dynamic, Yellen said, suggested international investors were shunning dollar-based assets and questioning Treasury debt’s role as the bedrock of global finance. Others speculated that China was dumping its Treasurys in retaliation for Trump’s tariffs. 

BofA Says World Actually ‘Dollarizing Rapidly’

The dollar’s bad start to the year has prompted some to wonder if the world is “de-dollarizing,” a concern that Bank of America analysts in a note on Wednesday said “miss[ed] the dollar forest for the dollar trees.” On the contrary, they say, “the world is dollarizing rapidly,” as evidenced by the growth of nonbank financial intermediaries (NBFIs), including investment banks, mortgage lenders, insurance companies, and private equity firms. 

NBFI-controlled assets more than doubled between 2009 ($28 trillion) and 2022 ($63 trillion), according to BofA. “We see this rapid growth as reflecting strong demand for dollars,” the analysts wrote. “Part of this demand likely derives from the increased value of other dollar assets like equities and housing.” The U.S. equity market has ballooned to $60 trillion today from $11 trillion in 2008, the BofA report said, while the housing stock has nearly doubled in the last decade to $50 trillion. 

True de-dollarization, according to BofA, would be difficult to accomplish. It would require the federal government to tax more than it spends—the opposite of what congressional Republicans are proposing in the tax bill being considered on Capitol Hill. Alternatively, de-dollarization could follow from bank, NBFI, and corporate balance sheets shrinking. But, if that were to happen, as in the aftermath of the 2008 financial crisis, we’d likely see the government increase its own spending, and thus the dollar supply, to stimulate the economy. 

Stablecoins Could Boost Dollar Demand

The U.S. government’s embrace of cryptocurrencies could also be a long-term “dollarizing” force. The Senate on Wednesday voted to advance the GENIUS Act, putting the bill, which establishes a legal framework for stablecoins, one step closer to becoming law. The bill’s co-sponsor, Sen. Bill Hagerty (R-Tennessee), said on Wednesday the act would “cement the dollar’s status as the world’s reserve currency.”

BofA analysts agree that the mainstream adoption of Treasury-backed stablecoins, which they expect will eventually offer interest in some form, is likely to boost the demand for U.S. government debt and, thus, augment dollar demand. Wider stablecoin adoption, in turn, could allow the U.S. Treasury to lower its interest expenses by issuing more short-term Treasurys, which have lower coupon rates than long-term debt. 

The S&P 500 has authorized record stock buybacks so far this year in what could be a lifeline for the stock market in turbulent times.

As of June 5, directors of S&P 500 companies had given management permission to spend a cumulative $750 billion on share repurchases, a big jump from the $600 billion authorized by the same time in 2023 and 2024, according to recent research from LPL Financial. Approximately 80% of this year’s total buyback authorization is concentrated in three sectors: communication services ($210 billion), financials ($200 billion), and information technology ($196 billion). 

Record authorizations gave executives plenty of dry powder to use when the S&P 500 slid into correction territory in March. S&P 500 companies spent $283 billion on buybacks in the first quarter, a 24% increase from the fourth quarter and 27% above the same period last year. Tech giants were the most active buyers; Apple (AAPL), Meta (META), Alphabet (GOOGL) and Nvidia (NVDA) spent a cumulative $73 billion last quarter. 

Buybacks, by supplementing demand from individual and institutional investors, have the potential to support stock prices during drawdowns like those seen earlier this year. There’s also evidence to suggest they lower trading costs for everyday investors. A 2021 U.S. Chamber of Commerce study found that the liquidity and price discovery benefits provided by corporate buybacks had saved retail investors between $2.1 billion and $4.2 billion since 2004.

But a buyback authorization doesn’t guarantee shares will be repurchased. Market conditions, valuations, and management teams’ priorities together determine whether buybacks happen. Stock prices have rebounded from their mid-April lows, putting the S&P 500’s P/E ratio about where it was at this time last year when threats to inflation and growth paled in comparison to today’s. That, plus lingering uncertainty about the economic impacts of tariffs, could temper corporate America’s appetite for buybacks. 

Plus, the companies that have spent the most on buybacks in recent years are also the ones dramatically increasing their business investments. Microsoft (MSFT), Amazon (AMZN), Alphabet, and Meta plan to spend more than $300 billion on AI infrastructure and other capital expenditures this year, a 35% increase from 2024. 

Amazon is an illustrative example of the way business expenses and investments can preclude repurchases. The company’s board approved a $10 billion buyback program in early 2022. Amazon spent about $4 billion of that shortly thereafter but hasn’t purchased any shares since. Over the same period, capex spending has soared from about $63 billion to an estimated $104 billion. 

AMD (AMD) unveiled its next-generation MI400 chips at its “Advancing AI” event Thursday. The chip isn’t expected to launch until 2026, but it already has some high-profile customers, including OpenAI. 

OpenAI CEO Sam Altman joined AMD CEO Lisa Su onstage Thursday to highlight the ChatGPT developer’s partnership with AMD on AI infrastructure and announce that it will make use of the MI400 series.

“When you first started telling me about the specs, I was like, there’s no way, that just sounds totally crazy,” Altman said. “It’s gonna be an amazing thing.”

AMD said it counts Meta (META), xAI, Oracle (ORCL), Microsoft (MSFT), Astera Labs (ALAB), and Marvell Technology (MRVL) among its partners as well.

AMD showcased its AI server rack architecture at the event, which will combine MI400 chips into one larger system known as Helios. The company compared it to rival Nvidia’s (NVDA) Vera Rubin, also expected in 2026.

The event also brought the launch of AMD’s Instinct MI350 Series GPUs, which it claims offers four times more computing power than its previous generation. 

Shares of AMD slid about 2% Thursday, leaving the stock down just under 2% for 2025 so far.

The White House may adjust immigration policies in response to employer concerns in some industries, according to President Donald Trump.

“Our great Farmers and people in the Hotel and Leisure business have been stating that our very aggressive policy on immigration is taking very good, long time workers away from them, with those jobs being almost impossible to replace,” Trump wrote early Thursday on Truth Social.

“This is not good,” Trump’s post concluded. “We must protect our Farmers, but get the CRIMINALS OUT OF THE USA. Changes are coming!” 

The White House didn’t respond to Investopedia’s questions about employers’ concerns and potential policy changes in time for publication. Trump told reporters at the White House Thursday that he would soon issue an order to address employers’ concerns, Bloomberg reported.

“We look forward to working with the President on solutions that ensure continuity in the food supply in the short term, and we call on Congress to follow the President’s lead to develop a permanent solution that fixes outdated and broken farmworker programs,” American Farm Bureau Federation President Zippy Duvall said in a statement.

]“As an industry, we are committed to strict compliance with labor laws and immigration regulations, including those focused on recruitment, background checks and employment verification,” said Ralph Posner, spokesperson for the American Hotel & Lodging Association. “Along with our members, we continue to communicate with Congress and the administration about the importance of building a strong hospitality and tourism workforce.”

Leisure and hospitality businesses, including ventures run by the Trump family, employ nearly 17 million people, according to April data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Immigrants make up roughly one-third of the hospitality industry workforce, according to the American Hotel & Lodging Association. The farm and agriculture industry also relies on foreign-born workers, often from Mexico and Central America “with many lacking authorization to work legally in the United States,” the Department of Agriculture said.

Besides impacting businesses’ labor supply, the administration’s high-profile deportation campaign is cutting into customers’ spending and corporate revenues. 

Companies have seen a pullback, in particular, from Hispanic customers, who are generally in better shape financially than other consumers, but are shopping in-stores less due, in part, to concerns about immigration enforcement.

“Families are being wise,” Eric Rodriquez, from the civil rights group UnidosUS, told Investopedia in May. “If they are going to lose a breadwinner tomorrow, they need the resources to do something about that.

This article has been updated since it was first published to incorporate more context and data, as well as the statements from the AHLA spokesperson and the Farm Bureau.

Climate has always been an important consideration in deciding where to buy a home, but never more so than now. If you’re planning to buy in the near future, you not only need to consider what the local climate is like today but how it could change in the next 10, 20, or even 30 years. 

Because of the growing risks posed by climate change—including floods, wildfires, and extreme heat—buying in the wrong place could make it harder to get a good mortgage, purchase insurance at affordable rates, or even resell the home someday. It could also put your family’s life in jeopardy. Here is what you need to know.

Flooding and Rising Insurance Costs

Flooding has become an increasingly common risk due to such factors as rising sea levels along the coasts and more intense rainstorms inland. Unfortunately, homeowners’ insurance rarely covers flood damage. For that potentially costly hazard, you need to buy a separate flood insurance policy, most of which are backed by the federal government’s National Flood Insurance Program.

Many mortgage lenders require homeowners to purchase flood insurance if the property they’re looking to buy is in a flood zone judged risky by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA).

By FEMA’s definition, “Any place with a 1% chance or higher chance of experiencing a flood each year is considered to have a high risk. Those areas have at least a one-in-four chance of flooding during a 30-year mortgage.”

FEMA issues new flood maps periodically based on changing risk levels and improvements in the technology and mathematical models it uses. In 2024, it released updated flood maps for many areas, which added thousands of homes to the high-risk category. In South Florida, for example, nearly 140,000 structures moved from a low- or moderate-risk classification to a high-risk one.

Outside of FEMA-designated zones

But you don’t have to live in an official high-risk area to experience flooding. As FEMA notes, “Floods occur naturally and can happen almost anywhere. They may not even be near a body of water, although river and coastal flooding are two of the most common types. Heavy rains, poor drainage, and even nearby construction projects can put you at risk.” According to FEMA, “statistics show that people who live outside high-risk areas file more than 25% of flood claims nationwide.”

For that reason, homeowners who aren’t required by their lender to buy flood insurance may want to do so anyway. Premiums will vary according to the risks that your specific property is believed to pose and should not vary from one company or agent to another. According to FEMA data, single-family homeowners were paying $786 a year, on average, in late 2023, although that average included many policyholders who enjoyed a discounted rate due to a previous pricing model; new policyholders were paying an average of $1,290.

However, those averages give little hint of the much higher rates some policyholders have to pay. As the Miami Herald reported in 2023, residents of one ZIP code in Miami/Dade County were paying average premiums of $7,097, based on the new pricing model.

What’s more, insurers are allowed by law to raise premiums up to 18% a year. So a policy that is barely affordable now could be out of reach in a few years’ time.

You can get a current price quote on the National Flood Insurance Program website by entering the address of the home and some details about its size and construction.

Fire Risk and Drought-Prone Areas

Unlike flooding, damage caused by fire is covered under a typical homeowners policy, up to whatever limits you opted for when you bought it. That’s the good news. The bad news is that policyholders are far more likely today to find themselves having to file a fire-related claim.

Since the early 1980s, the U.S. has seen a relatively consistent average of about 70,000 wildfires each year, according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). What has changed dramatically during that time is the magnitude of those fires, in terms of the acreage they consume and the number of homes they damage or destroy. In fact, the EPA says that “of the 10 years with the largest acreage burned, all have occurred since 2004. … This period coincides with many of the warmest years on record nationwide.”

While more than 80% of wildfires are caused by human actions, according to the National Park Service, drought, driven by climate change, is often a major factor in their wide and rapid spread.

Fires can happen anywhere and for many different causes, of course, but wildfires tend to be concentrated in certain parts of the U.S. In 2024, for example, wildfires destroyed 2,406 residences in the U.S., with the vast majority of them in either the American Southwest (1,010), Southern California (552), or Northern California (462).

A 2025 white paper from Moody’s predicted that the disastrous Southern California wildfires earlier that year were likely to raise insurance rates, compel insurers to write fewer policies, and spur a decline in property values. In addition, it suggested that anyone looking to buy in the area could find it harder to obtain a mortgage after lenders figured their likely insurance premiums into their debt-to-income ratio.

Minimizing risk

As if all that weren’t enough, wildfires also increase flood risk by destroying the vegetation that could otherwise absorb rainwater.

Would-be homeowners who are house hunting in a fire-prone area should be on the alert for features that will at least minimize their risk. That includes noncombustible or fire-resistant roofs and exterior walls and a “defensible space” around the home consisting of gravel, brick, or concrete and minimal flammable vegetation. It’s also worth investigating the extent to which the local community has implemented measures to prevent or minimize the damage from wildfires.

Some states are also beginning to offer incentives to homeowners who take steps to make their homes more resilient.

Heatwaves, Air Quality, and Livability

Besides floods and fires, climate change can impair your quality of life in other ways, depending on where you decide to buy a home.  

Extreme heat is one increasingly important consideration. While many parts of the country have experienced higher temperatures and more days of them in recent years, certain states have been particularly hard hit. A 2022 report from First Street Technology designated what it calls an “Extreme Heat Belt,” comprising 1,023 U.S. counties where residents can expect to experience temperatures above 125°F by 2053. The organization says that the belt “stretches from the Northern Texas and Louisiana borders to Illinois, Indiana, and even into Wisconsin.”

High temperatures are not only dangerous for human and animal health, but can be costly in terms of energy costs and force people to stay indoors when they’d rather be outside.

Air quality can be another concern. Despite decades of national efforts to reduce pollution, the proliferation of wildfires, extreme heat, drought in many regions have led to an increase in ozone and particulate matter in the air, according to First Street Technology. It says the problem is most severe in the American West and singles out parts of California and the cities of Portland and Seattle as being at the greatest risk.

Anyone who chooses to live in area with poor air quality can reduce their risks somewhat by selecting a community that has implemented measures to address the problem, such as investing in a modern public transit system and expanding green spaces, such as parks.

Coastal Erosion and Sea-Level Rise

Home buyers interested in a waterfront or coastal property face a number of climate-related hazards. Sea-level rise is a major one.

For coastal properties in particular, hurricanes and storm surges, which have been increasing in intensity as a result of climate change, are a serious concern, as is coastal erosion.

Addressing these problems—through physical structures like sea walls or “green infrastructure,” such as planting vegetation or creating new wetlands—is expensive and not always successful. So some properties may be beyond saving and their owners may have no choice but to relocate in a number of years.

The Bottom Line

Climate change is an unfortunate fact and one that home buyers ignore at their peril. If you’re looking to buy in the near future, you’ll want to consider both the risks you could face today and how they might become worse in the future. For most of us, a home is a major investment and often a long-term commitment. You’ll enjoy your new home all the more knowing that you’ve done as much as you can to keep your family and your finances out of harm’s way.

While the suburbs have long been a place where families can stretch out into bigger, more affordable homes compared to urban areas, many middle-class buyers now find themselves priced out of buying in the suburbs. 

What’s driving these trends? Factors such as tight housing inventory, an overall rise in real estate prices in recent years, and shifting demand patterns have caused many suburban markets to heat up across the country. When comparing price-per-square foot, the suburbs are more expensive in 53% of the 100 largest metro areas in the U.S., and 65% of these suburban areas are more expensive on an overall basis, due in part to larger homes in the suburbs versus cities, according to Realtor.com listing data.

However, that doesn’t mean you’re out of luck if you’re looking for a suburban home. Here, we’ll examine what’s driving this affordability challenge and how you can better navigate it.

The Suburbs Became the New Hot Market 

A big reason behind this affordability issue is that the pandemic helped advance what was already a shifting trend, such as with many Millennials starting families. During the early days of Covid, many city dwellers found themselves working remotely in cramped apartments, so they decided to spread out into the suburbs. That trend has continued as more buyers seek advantages often associated with the suburbs, such as good schools and family-friendly spaces.

While the exact trends have varied by market, many metro areas have been seeing faster price growth in the suburbs. For example, many suburbs in the Atlanta, Austin, and Denver real estate markets have seen larger increases than the city limits.

Low Inventory and Construction Bottlenecks

The demand for suburban housing isn’t the only thing driving up prices. The nationwide trend of low housing inventory across different types of markets is also a contributing factor. This inventory issue is multi-dimensional.

For one, the number of listings for sale is often low, such as due to homeowners hanging onto low-interest-rate mortgages that they obtained by moving or refinancing during the early days of the pandemic.

Another issue is that new construction has been slow, which also limits inventory. Issues like high material costs amidst inflation and tariffs, labor shortages, and other challenges like zoning approvals have led to a limited supply of new homes.

Affordability Squeezed by Mortgage Rates and Cost of Living

While previously low mortgage rates have kept many homeowners in place, those looking to move now face an additional challenge of significantly higher mortgage rates. Instead of the sub-3% rates in parts of 2020 and 2021, homebuyers now face mortgage rates of nearly 7% for a 30-year mortgage.

Those higher rates, combined with rising prices and continued inflation, create an affordability crunch. Although wages have gone up, income growth has not kept pace with housing inflation.

Plus, many desirable areas have seen big increases in additional housing costs that you might not consider when first looking for homes. For example, insurance costs have been rising almost everywhere in the U.S., with one-third of U.S. ZIP codes seeing a 30% increase in home insurance prices from 2021-2024.

What Buyers Can Do Now

All of these factors are making it difficult for young families or other first-time buyers to afford a home. If you don’t already own a home, then you’re not necessarily benefiting from the rise in housing prices, making it difficult to save up enough for a down payment and afford monthly mortgage payments. However, there are some steps you can take to overcome these cost challenges, such as:

• Moving further out, especially if you work remotely and don’t need access to an urban job market, or if you’re willing to do a much longer commute.
• Looking for homebuying assistance programs, such as those that help cover down payments for first-time buyers.
• Buying fixer-uppers, where you’re willing to put in sweat equity to get the house up to the level you’re looking for.
• Renting longer or indefinitely — buying isn’t the right choice for everyone, and sometimes renting is cheaper, considering all the extra costs of homeownership. You can find online calculators to see if you’d likely come out ahead renting versus buying.
• Co-buying with family or friends, although be aware of the complexity this can add.
• Getting pre-approved and working with experienced agents and mortgage brokers, as part of the right team, can help you clearly understand what you qualify for and what’s realistic. However, keep in mind that these professionals have an incentive to sell to you, so you also might want external advice, such as from a financial advisor.

The Bottom Line: The Suburban Dream Isn’t Dead—But It’s Changing

Although affordability has become more challenging in the suburbs, that doesn’t mean moving out of the city is impossible. However, buyers might have to shift their expectations, such as buying in different areas than they assumed or choosing a smaller home than they’d ideally like. If you’re strategic in your search, do your homework, and keep an open mind, buying a home in the suburbs is still possible.

The states with the cheapest 30-year refinance rates Wednesday were New York, California, Connecticut, Washington, Virginia, Colorado, Florida, and Texas. These low-rate states registered refi averages between 6.90% and 7.04%.

Meanwhile, the states with Wednesday’s most expensive 30-year refinance rates were Alaska, Hawaii, Montana, North Dakota, West Virginia, Wyoming, and Kentucky. These high-rate states registered refi averages between 7.16% and 7.19%.

Mortgage refinance rates vary by the state where they originate. Different lenders operate in different regions, and rates can be influenced by state-level variations in credit score, average loan size, and regulations. Lenders also have varying risk management strategies that influence the rates they offer.

Since rates vary widely across lenders, it’s always smart to shop around for your best mortgage option and compare rates regularly, no matter the type of home loan you seek.

National Mortgage Refinance Rate Averages

Rates for 30-year refinance mortgages have fallen for three days straight, completely reversing last week’s surge. Sliding another 5 basis points, the Wednesday average is 7.09%—an improvement vs. the 7.32% May peak that was a 10-month high.

Back in March, however, rates plunged to a 6.71% average—their cheapest 2025 mark. And last September, 30-year refinance rates sank to a two-year low of 6.01%.

Oracle (ORCL) is calling its shot. The cloud computing giant said it expects “dramatically higher” revenue growth in its current fiscal year, prompting several analysts to lift their price targets.

KeyBanc said Oracle’s growth projections were “stunning” in a note to clients following the company’s quarterly results and raising its price target to $225 from $200. The bank pointed to comments from CEO Safra Catz that Oracle expects cloud infrastructure growth to increase from 50% in fiscal 2025 to more than 70% in fiscal 2026. Catz also called for a doubling in remaining performance obligations, a measure of revenue from contracts that has yet to be realized.

Deutsche Bank went even further, moving from $200 to $240 and calling Oracle’s results a “watershed cloud moment.” UBS meanwhile raised its target to $225 and Jefferies moved to $220, both from $200.

“Oracle is clearly winning on several fronts, most of which we believe is still largely under appreciated,” Deutsche Bank said. 

Shares of Oracle soared 15% in recent trading, leading all S&P 500 gainers. The stock has risen 21% in 2025.