Investors will be on edge Wednesday to see if Oracle's better-than-expected earnings can reverse a tech downturn. Asian and European markets were down, and the Dow is set to open slightly higher. U.S. An 80 percent surge in third-quarter earnings from the world's second-biggest software producer, Oracle Corp. (Nasdaq: ORCL) could help techs pull out of their decline. Biotechnology stocks may continue to drag the Nasdaq down though, after President Clinton and British Prime Minister Tony Blair proposed that gene mapping data should be made public - a move that would open many companies' grip on research and profits. Yahoo! (Nasdaq: YHOO) and eBay (Nasdaq: EBAY) could also get attention after reports that the two companies might merge, or that Yahoo! might acquire eBay. The Wall Street Journal Interactive Edition reported there was a "50-50" chance of a deal, but the Financial Times Web site said early Wednesday that discussions have collapsed.