Larry Ellison's database peddler saw profits in the most recent quarter jump to $1.08 billion, up 28 percent from the same period last year. As recently as 2006, Oracle got 12 percent of its revenues from banks, brokers, and insurers. Some of its best customers are bankrupt, while others are merging, a move which usually leads to cuts in tech spending. And yet so far Oracle seems unscathed by Wall Street's debt-driven crisis. Even so, free advice for Oracle's New York City sales office: Try the soft sell for a change. [WSJ]

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