Catalyst watch: Fed rate hike, new SPACs teed up and Amazon leads huge earnings rush
da-kuk

Welcome to Seeking Alpha's Catalyst Watch - a breakdown of some of next week's actionable events that stand out. Check out Saturday morning's regular Stocks to Watch article for a full list of events planned for the week or the Seeking Alpha earnings calendar for companies due to report.
Monday - July 25


Volatility watch - Options trading volume has spiked over the last week on Farfetch (FTCH) and Vroom (VRM). Short interest on Beyond Meat (BYND) is now up to over 40% of total float. Social media interest in Coinbase Global (COIN) and Snap (SNAP) is in a sharp uptrend.

All day - Shareholders with Waldencast Acquisition Corp. (WALD) meet to vote on taking skincare brands Obagi & Milk Makeup public in a three-way SPAC deal that will value the new company at $1.2B.

Tuesday - July 26


All day - The Senate Judiciary Subcommittee on Crime and Terrorism will meet for a meeting titled "Decriminalizing Cannabis at the Federal Level: Necessary Steps to Address Past Harms." Cannabis stocks Canopy Growth (CGC), Aurora Cannabis (ACB), Hexo Corp (HEXO), Cresco Labs (OTCQX:CRLBF), and Ayr Wellness (OTCQX:AYRWF) are some of the stocks that could be impacted. Also watch the Global X Cannabis ETF (POTX) and AdvisorShares Pure US Cannabis ETF (MSOS) for volatility.

All day - Amazon (NASDAQ:AMZN) will hold its annual AWS re:Inforce learning conference focused on security, compliance, identity, and privacy issues. The event features access to hundreds of technical and business sessions.

All day - Shareholders with Spirit Airlines (SAVE) are lined up once again to vote on the buyout offer from Frontier Group (ULCC). Later in the week, the JetBlue (JBLU) offer expires. There is a good chance the airline buyout drama extends into August.

2:00 p.m. Zenvia Inc. (ZENV) will hold the first Investor Day in the company's history with presentations focused on the long-term plan and how it envisions the future of CX.

Postmarket - Stocks due to report earnings with double-digit share price moves implied by options trading include Hawaiian Holdings (HA) and Boyd Gaming (BYD).

Postmarket - Roche Holding (OTCQX:RHHBY) will hold an analyst event to discuss the diagnostics division. The event is being held in conjunction with the American Association for Clinical Chemistry Annual Meeting and Clinical Lab Exposition in Chicago.

Wednesday - July 27


All day - Shareholders with Duddell Street Acquisition Corp. (DSAC) meet to vote on taking AI-driven enterprise SaaS company FiscalNote public in a SPAC deal.

All day - Shareholders with Brookline Capital Acquisition (BCAC) meet to vote on taking cancer drug firm Apexigen public in a SPAC deal.

All day - A hearing run by the House Committee on Oversight and Reform will include representatives from Sturm, Ruger & Company (RGR) and Smith & Wesson Brands (SWBI). The hearing is titled "Examining the Practices and Profits of Gun Manufacturers." will be live-streamed from 10 AM ET on the 27th. Other firms potentially impacted include: CeskÃ¡ zbrojovka Group, Vista Outdoor (VSTO), FN Herstal, Olin Corporation (OLN), Ammo, Inc. (POWW), American Outdoor Brands (AOUT), Heckler & Koch, O.F. Mossberg & Sons, Springfield Armory, Savage Arms, Beretta Holding, Carl Walther GmbH Sportwaffen, Sportsman's Warehouse Holdings (SPWH), Taurus International, and Glock among others.

Premarket - Stocks due to report earnings with double-digit share price moves implied by options trading include Shopify (SHOP) and Spotify Technology (SPOT).

2:00 p.m. The FOMC will issue its announcement on the federal funds target rate and policy changes. The Fed is widely expected to raise the target rate by another 75 points to 2.25% to 2.50% from 1.50% to 1.75%, although a surprise 100-point hike has not been entirely ruled out.

2:30 p.m. Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell will hold a press conference.

Postmarket - Stocks due to report earnings with double-digit share price moves implied by options trading include Noodles (NDLS), Sleep Number (SNBR), and Etsy (ETSY).

Thursday - July 28


All day - REE Automotive Ltd. (REE) will hold a hybrid event that includes a business update, Q&A session with management, and on-site participation for analysts and investors at the American Center for Mobility in Ypsilanti, Michigan with REE's fully-flat P7 chassis upfitted with a walk-in step van body by EAVX and Morgan Olson. Watch for analyst commentary following the event to be a potential share price catalyst.

All day - Shareholders with CHW Acquisition Corporation (CHWA) vote on the deal to take dog walking and pet services company Wag Labs public in a SPAC transaction. Wag competes with Rover (ROVR), which went public last year.

All day - It is the last trading day before the FDA action date on Arcutis Biotherapeutics' (ARQT) Roflumilast cream for plaque psoriasis.

11:00 a.m. - The Charles Schwab Corporation (SCHW) will hold a Summer Business Update for institutional investors that covers recent developments and managementâs strategic focus.

11:00 a.m. - Ford (F) will dive further into its Q2 earnings results and outlook with a fireside chat hosted by BNP Paribas.

Postmarket - Amazon's (AMZN) earnings report and guidance could impact a number of companies as the e-commerce giant talks about consumer spending, logistics, supply chain, and unionization trends. Aterian (ATER) generates 93% of its revenue from the e-commerce giant, while NovaBay Pharma (NBY) and Plug Power (PLUG) both lean on AMZN for more than 40%. Netgear (NTGR) and Simply Good Foods (SMPL) have seen their share prices move in tandem with Amazon 88% of the time in the week after earnings.

Friday - July 29


All day - Sealed Air (SEE) will participate in a Mizuho non-deal roadshow in Japan to discuss the company's strategy to become a digitally driven company automating sustainable packaging solutions as it focuses on accelerating growth in Asia Pacific.

Premarket - Stocks due to report earnings with double-digit share price moves implied by options trading include Tal Education Group (TAL) and ArcBest (ARCB).