The old "sell in May and go away" yarn implies that nothing good ever happens over the next few warm months. I disagree. I think that plenty of events could potentially shape -- or shake -- the market. Here are a few of the days that I plan to approach with eyes wide open.
June 9
Is the world ready for the Garminfone? Garmin's (Nasdaq: GRMN) Android-powered smartphone hits the market a week from tomorrow.
This isn't Garmin's first attempt to capitalize on its killer GPS brand name in the wireless market. The Nuvifone bombed last year. However, there's something to be said about hopping on Google's (Nasdaq: GOOG) popular Android operating system, beefing up the specs, and getting things right the second time.
Garmin's personal navigation business has been slammed in recent years, as web-connected handsets provide cheaper access to turn-by-turn directions. There is thankfully more to Garmin's business than consumer GPS gadgetry. However, Garmin's weakness there has clearly weighed on the stock over the past few quarters.
A Garminfone hit -- even if the odds are long -- would restore investor confidence.
June 15
Best Buy (NYSE: BBY) releases its quarterly results on June 15. Now that we don't have Circuit City around, Best Buy has become the only major bellwether for consumer-electronics retail.
The report should bring good news. Analysts foresee a profit of $0.50 a share, ahead of last year's $0.42-a-share showing. Best Buy has also clocked in ahead of Wall Street's targets in five of the past six quarters, so it's a safe bet that the big-box retailer will earn more than Wall Street expects.
However, the real meat to Best Buy's report may lie in emerging trends. Best Buy has become the retailer to turn to for breakthrough product launches. It will be ground zero for Google TV, and TiVo is working with Best Buy to roll out Insignia televisions with TiVo software built in.
June 18
Fans of Woody and Buzz can begin heading out to their local multiplex for Disney's (NYSE: DIS) Toy Story 3 on June 18.
There's plenty riding on the release, since the computer-animated film will also be marketed as a premium 3-D screening.
There was little reason to expect anything short of box-office gold for third installment of Pixar's flagship franchise -- until DreamWorks Animation's (NYSE: DWA) Shrek Forever After stumbled with exhibitors two weekends ago.
Shrek's franchise has actually had greater financial success theatrically than Toy Story, so watching the fourth -- and presumably final -- Shrek film fail to live up to the opening weekends of its predecessors is disheartening.
Are consumers tiring of computer animation? Will this summer be too competitive for any single family-friendly movie to stand out? Or are folks just tired of the Shrek property?
Disney better hope that the answers are "no, no, and yes," respectively, to those three questions.
June 30
When Sirius XM Radio (Nasdaq: SIRI) got shareholders to vote in support of a reverse stock split last year, the satellite-radio operator was trading much lower than it is today. It was also being threatened with an exchange delisting if it couldn't get its share price over the $1 mark. The authority to execute the reverse expires at the end of June.
CEO Mel Karmazin has made it clear that Sirius is no longer entertaining a reverse split, now that it's in compliance Nasdaq's listing requirements. However, the stock's inability to consistently trade above the $1 mark may eventually force another delisting issue. A reverse split would satisfy the shortcoming, even if many investors prefer a low share price and billions of shares outstanding.
The saga continues.
What are you looking forward to this month? Check in with your expectations in the comment box below.
