The weekend reads: get ready for a big week – a crucial Federal Reserve decision, tech company earnings and a GDP report

Fed officials are expected to raise the federal funds rate by 0.75 percentage points on Wednesday, bringing it to a range of 2.25% to 2.5%. But what comes next? Here’s everything you need to know:

The Fed could get lucky or things could go wrong. A guide to where the economy could go from here

Nearly All Economic Numbers Line Up: A US Recession Is Likely

And a word of caution on inflation: Fed rate hikes alone won’t be enough to cure inflation.

What is the outlook for the stock market after a big rally?

The S&P 500 SPX,
-0.93%
and the Dow Jones Industrial Average DJIA,
-0.43%
closed Thursday at their highest level since June 9 (June 8 for the Nasdaq COMP,
-1.87%
) before retiring on Friday. The good news is that the stock market valuation has improved significantly. Even so, equities simply haven’t gotten cheap enough to warrant a bull market rally, says Mark Hulbert.

Yet some argue that major benchmarks have already bottomed out. Here’s what the pros have to say about it.

Regardless of what you think, make your plan now for how you’ll decide when it’s time to get back into action.

Then there is this: A Strong Dollar Troubles Markets: What Investors Need to Know

An alternative: Here’s why you should buy junk bonds now: Attractive dividend yield and big upside potential

What we learned from this week’s earnings

Start with signs that supply chain issues are easing. But the dollar is a headwind, and Snap’s dismal earnings offer a broader warning to tech investors. Get the full story here.

After: Like Snap SNAP,
-39.08%
fundamentally, its founders take care to protect the people who matter: themselves

More: from Tesla
TSLA,
+0.20%
margins shrink despite ’embarrassing’ price hikes, putting Elon Musk in a tough spot

Why Investors Should Worry More About Cloud Spending

The cloud boom is coming back to earth, and it could be scary for tech stocks.

Spending on public cloud services is expected to decline after soaring in the first two years of the COVID-19 pandemic. Companies looking to cut costs could contribute even more to this growth and cause a domino effect on tech companies and stocks.

How Amazon’s $3.9 billion bet on primary care could change your Prime membership

AMZN from Amazon,
-1.77%
The acquisition of One Medical, its biggest healthcare bet to date, portends a future in which primary care and streaming options are consolidated.

After: Amazon’s acquisition of One Medical sparks data privacy backlash: ‘What could go wrong?’

A boon for the ultra-rich

The IRS has simply made it easier for families to pass on millions of dollars to their children and others.

More: How do I make sure my husband of 26 years never gets his hands on my multi-million dollar inheritance? The Moneyist weighs.

And: We have $1.5 million that we don’t intend to use in retirement – ​​how do we invest it if we plan to give it to our children one day?

How to succeed in your retirement plan

Thinking of retiring early? The ‘Financial Samurai’ tells you how to start your FIRE life by trading a big win.

Also: Our retirement budget is $38,000 per year. Where should we move?

And: Does inflation affect the social security contributions deducted from your salary? Yes, and it’s not pretty

What to stream before the end of July and what to binge in August

NetflixNFLX,
-1.54%
brings an adaptation of Neil Gaiman’s classic “The Sandman” with a vampire flick from Jamie Foxx and a new season of Mindy Kaling’s “Never Have I Ever.”

Here is what will be new on Hulu, Disney+ and HBO Max.

Can an effort to revamp anti-redlining loan laws survive DC’s swamp?

The Community Reinvestment Act’s first major overhaul since 1995 is winning praise, but some supporters say it fails to close the racial lending gap.

Find out more about housing

Rents just hit a new high, but renting is still cheaper than owning. Here’s why.

I’ve Been Building Homes For 40 Years, And Here’s What Needs To Change If The U.S. Wants More Starter Homes

Only 10% of new homes now sell for less than $300,000. Two years ago, a third did. It’s not just because of the pandemic.

How to make a successful home exchange

You can ignore Airbnb ABNB,
-3.86%
and holidays as if you were a local. Rachel Koning Beals begins her new column, The Upcycler, on how to pull off this inexpensive or free alternative to hotel and resort stays.

“Stray” – the video game in which you play as a cat – breaks the Internet

The new cyberpunk cat game pierces even real life cats.

ICYMI: People are giving up family dogs they adopted long before the pandemic, mostly due to inflation, shelters say