Things are starting to finally heat up, and I'm not necessarily talking about the weather.
The Dow and the S&P 500 hit all-time highs in April, and everyone's wondering if the "sell in May and go away" worrywarts will get burned this year.
From the unveiling of a new gaming console to the long-awaited return of a cult fave television show on an unlikely platform, let's start looking out to some of the events that will unfold this month.
May 2
Disney (DIS 1.54%) will kick off the summer movie season tomorrow night with the theatrical release of Iron Man 3.
The latest entry in the comic book action series is reportedly Robert Downey Jr.'s last performance as Tony Stark.
And, yes, technically summer itself is still seven weeks away. Don't tell that to the multiplex operators that feast on the summertime blockbuster releases that seem to roll out earlier and earlier with every passing year.
Exhibitors may even have more at stake here than Disney given the sloppy attendance that movie theaters have experienced in recent years.
May 14
BlackBerry (BB 3.21%) has been gaining momentum since introducing its BlackBerry 10 mobile operating system earlier this year, and it will hopefully all come together during BlackBerry Live in two weeks.
The annual conference that was formerly known as BlackBerry World will feature three days of mobile goodness from the smartphone pioneer as it woos developers, IT decision makers, and enthusiasts alike in family-friendly Orlando.
May 15
Cisco (CSCO 0.37%) reports quarterly results in two weeks.
The networking giant has stormed its way back into investor fancy, trading near the two-year highs it established in March.
The fundamentals don't exactly match the stock chart. Analysts see revenue and earnings per share climbing a mere 5% and 2%, respectively, in Cisco's latest quarter. However, there's no denying that Cisco's future will get a whole lot brighter if companies that have held back on updating their routers, switches, and other networking gear move to upgrade their equipment in this improving economy.
May 21
Microsoft (MSFT 1.65%) is ready to show the world its new Xbox.
The Wii U was a dud last holiday season, and the recently unveiled PlayStation 4 isn't generating a lot of buzz in this country. It's now up to Microsoft to turn the console gaming industry around after years of sluggish sales.
Microsoft's Xbox 360 has been the country's top-selling system every month for more than two years, but naturally jaded gamers will want to see if it can top the specs of its rival next-generation platforms.
May 26
Netflix (NFLX 4.17%) had a big hit with House of Cards, and April's Hemlock Grove got off to a good start.
The leading video service should have another hit with this month's revival of Arrested Development.
The long-awaited season will stream exclusively on Netflix starting May 26, and true to the service's "binge viewing" strategy it will make the entire fourth season available on the same day.
Netflix is coming off a blowout quarter where it tacked on more than 3 million net global subscribers to its streaming service. Magnetic proprietary programming will help keep those new accounts around.
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