Summer's heating up, and I'm not just talking about the weather. There are plenty of events that will shape the market in July.
Here are a few of the days that I plan to approach with eyes wide open this month.
July 11
Netflix (NFLX 3.10%) will be back with another original series next week.
Orange Is the New Black -- from Weeds creator Jenji Kohan -- is a gritty new drama that takes place in a prison for women.
Will it be another buzz-building series for Netflix along the lines of February's House of Cards or May's Arrested Development revival? Will it still be a critical hit but not as popular with audiences, the way that Lilyhammer and Hemlock Grove have been?
The push for original or exclusive first-run content isn't always going to be a slam dunk, so it's nice to see that Netflix always has something new on tap these days.
July 14
It's not just Netflix hoping to attract and retain subscribers with fresh video content.
The second season of The Newsroom kicks off in two weeks for Time Warner's (TWX +0.00%) HBO.
Netflix CEO Reed Hastings often names HBO as his service's biggest competitor, even though the premium movie channel costs cable subscribers twice as much and has less available content. However, HBO does have a pretty impressive track record when it comes to original programming, and that's what Netflix has been trying to emulate since last year's Lilyhammer.
Growth has been hard to come by at HBO as the pay-TV market seems to have maxed out these days. The key now is keeping subscribers around, and that's why popular new shows that you can only catch on the channel and its HBO Go streaming platform are so important.
July 22
Apple (AAPL 0.32%) has plenty to prove as it delivers its fiscal third-quarter results later this month.
The stock has shed more than 40% of its value since peaking the day that the iPhone 5 came out, and the swagger is missing.
It's easy to see why investors are disappointed. Analysts see flat year-over-year sales growth for the quarter on a 21% decline in earnings per share.
Innovation is the easiest way out for the consumer tech titan, and today the stock's buzzing on reports of Apple moving to secure its iWatch trademark in Japan. Rumors of Apple's entry into the wearable computing market with a smart watch have been circulating since last year.
Apple is unlikely to spill any beans of upcoming products during its quarterly earnings call, but you never know what the former tech darling will do to regain its good graces with Mr. Market.
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If you like to stay on top of what happens next -- and I'm guessing you do because you're reading this article -- keep learning about new opportunities in the future.
