Dow futures gain as markets brace for busy week: here's 5 stocks to watch

US stock futures edged higher ahead of a busy week for policy decisions and corporate earnings, with investors tracking several notable companies before and after Monday’s session.

The Federal Reserve’s rate decision and fresh inflation data later in the week add to a backdrop of volatile energy markets and heightened geopolitical risk.

Here are five stocks to watch for Monday’s trading, as markets continue to digest rising oil prices and a cautious tone across equities.

The setup for Monday

Dow Jones, S&P 500 and Nasdaq futures moved higher Sunday night as traders positioned for a week dominated by the Federal Reserve’s policy decision and Chair Jerome Powell’s press conference on Wednesday.

February’s Producer Price Index is also due, alongside housing data including new and pending home sales.

Oil remains a key swing factor. Brent crude hovered around $105 a barrel and West Texas Intermediate near $99 after gaining more than 40% over the past two weeks, driven by military strikes and escalating tensions in the Middle East.

US crude briefly topped $100 before easing, while equities closed lower for a third consecutive week, with all three major indexes falling more than 1%.

Earnings and corporate moves to watch

Dollar Tree

Dollar Tree is expected to report earnings of $2.52 per share on revenue of $5.46 billion before the opening bell.

Shares rose about 0.5% in after-hours trading to roughly $108. The results will offer another snapshot of consumer spending after management previously described shoppers as “stretched.”

Science Applications International Corp. (SAIC)

SAIC is scheduled to release quarterly earnings before markets open, with analysts expecting earnings of $1.93 per share on revenue of $1.76 billion.

The stock gained 0.4% on Friday to close at $91.91.

Urgent.ly

Urgent.ly agreed to be acquired by Agero in an all-cash deal valued at $5.50 per share and also reported better-than-expected fourth-quarter results.

The stock surged 161.6% to $5.31 in after-hours trading.

Getty Images

Getty Images is projected to report earnings of 3 cents per share on revenue of $246.22 million after the market close.

Shares gained 2.4% to $0.74 in after-hours trading.

Semtech

Semtech is also scheduled to report earnings after the bell. Analysts expect earnings of 43 cents per share on revenue of $273.20 million.

The stock rose 1.7% on Friday to finish the session at $84.85.

What else is on the calendar

Policy decisions and economic data will shape the market narrative midweek. The Federal Open Market Committee’s interest rate decision and Powell’s press briefing are due Wednesday, alongside February’s Producer Price Index.

Monday’s economic releases include industrial production and capacity utilization for February, the March Empire State manufacturing survey, and March homebuilder confidence.

New and pending home sales are scheduled later in the week.

Earnings also remain active across sectors:

Monday, March 16: Dollar Tree (DLTR), Science Applications International (SAIC)
Tuesday, March 17: Tencent Music (TME), Lululemon (LULU), Oklo (OKLO), DocuSign (DOCU)
Wednesday, March 18: Micron (MU), Jabil (JBL), General Mills (GIS), Macy’s (M)
Thursday, March 19: Alibaba (BABA), Accenture (ACN), FedEx (FDX)
Friday, March 20: Xpeng (XPEV)

The takeaway

Monday’s watch list spans consumer retail, defense IT, media, semiconductors and a notable acquisition announcement.

With oil prices elevated and the Federal Reserve set to deliver its policy decision midweek, earnings from Dollar Tree and SAIC may offer clues on consumer demand and government spending, while after-hours updates from Getty Images and Semtech will help round out the session.