So, you thought Thursday was rough? The market decided to keep the gloomy mood going into Friday morning. U.S. stock futures were pointing lower, trying to find a floor after the major indices took a beating the day before. It's one of those mornings where everyone's looking for a reason—geopolitics, interest rates, you name it.

The big headline driver was, once again, the situation with Iran. President Donald Trump pushed the deadline for a deal back by 10 days to April 6, which at least paused planned strikes. He said negotiations were going "very well." But, in a classic geopolitical twist, Tehran reportedly rejected a U.S. proposal, with a senior official telling Reuters it only served American and Israeli interests. So, "very well" might be a bit optimistic.

Meanwhile, the bond market wasn't offering much comfort. The 10-year Treasury yield was sitting at 4.45%, with the two-year at 4.00%. That's the kind of level that makes stocks look a little less attractive by comparison. And if you're wondering what the Fed might do, the market's betting heavily—93.8% likely, according to the CME's FedWatch tool—that they'll just leave rates right where they are at their April meeting.

Here’s how the futures were shaping up early Friday:

The popular ETFs that track the big indices were also lower. The SPDR S&P 500 ETF Trust (SPY) was down 0.017% at $645.20, and the Invesco QQQ Trust ETF (QQQ), which follows the Nasdaq 100, declined 0.045% to $573.53.

Stocks Making Moves

While the broader market was sleepy and slightly down, there was plenty of action in individual names. Some companies decided Friday was a good day for big news.

Unity Software

Let's start with the good news. Unity Software Inc. (U) was a rocket in premarket trading, surging 15.24%. Why? The company released some strong preliminary numbers for the first quarter. It now sees revenue coming in between $505 million and $508 million. That's notably higher than its prior guidance of $480 million to $490 million. When you beat your own forecast, investors tend to notice. It's worth noting that market data indicates U has maintained a weak price trend across long, short, and medium timeframes, so this pop is a significant departure from that recent pattern.

Oracle

Over at Oracle Corp. (ORCL), the stock was down a slight 0.15%. The company announced it's expanding its footprint in Nashville, signing a lease for 116,000 square feet in the Neuhoff District. Simultaneously, AI solutions company Veritone Inc. (VERI), which dropped 7.97%, said it signed a multi-year deal to migrate its AI solutions to Oracle Cloud Infrastructure (OCI). So, Oracle is getting a new tenant for its cloud and more physical office space. Market data suggests ORCL has maintained a weak trend across terms and a poor value ranking.

SoFi Technologies

SoFi Technologies Inc. (SOFI) was down 0.63%. The fintech announced an expansion of its Loan Platform Business (LPB), committing over $3.6 billion in personal loan delivery across three new partnerships. That's a big number, but the stock reaction was muted. Market data indicates SOFI has a weak price trend across all terms but a solid growth score.

Datacentrex

Now for the bad news. Datacentrex Inc. (DTCX) absolutely cratered, plunging 30.10%. The reason? The company announced the pricing of a $20.17 million public offering at $2.00 per share. That's a notable discount to where it had been trading, and the market hates dilution at a discount. It's a classic case of a stock getting punished for needing cash. Interestingly, market data showed DTCX had maintained a strong trend across short, long, and medium terms before this announcement.

Southland Holdings

Southland Holdings Inc. (SLND) didn't have a great day either, slumping 34.16%. The company released its fourth-quarter and full-year 2025 financial results, and they were ugly. Fourth-quarter 2025 revenue plummeted to $104.0 million from $267.3 million a year ago. Even worse, it reported a gross loss of $193.4 million. That's the kind of report that sends a stock reeling. Market data indicates SLND had a weak price trend in the medium and long term but a strong trend in the short term—until this report, that is.

Remembering Thursday's Beating

To understand why futures were down, you have to look back at what happened Thursday. It was a broad-based sell-off. Consumer discretionary, information technology, and industrial sectors led the S&P 500 lower. The only sectors that finished in the green were energy, utilities, and real estate. Here’s the damage from the prior session:

What the Strategists Are Saying

So, what's a smart investor to do in this environment? Senior Global Market Strategist Scott Wren has some thoughts. He says the U.S. economy is dealing with "shorter-term inflationary effects" driven by geopolitical conflict. He notes that while the S&P 500 recently dipped 1.9%, there are signs of stabilization as sides step back from "serious escalations" that could have spiked energy prices.

The economic impact, he says, is "widespread across many segments," mainly through surging oil prices. That hits consumers at the pump and businesses that rely on trucking. "America relies heavily on truckers," Wren observes, meaning rising diesel surcharges are likely to get passed on to you and me.

Despite the volatility, Wren thinks political constraints will "ultimately restrain the duration of the war," as everyone wants to avoid "extensive structural damage to the region's main income source." For the stock market, he suggests a tactical shift:

• Rebalancing: Move from a heavy energy-related exposure back to a "neutral weighting."
• Sector Rotation: Redirect funds into "U.S. Large Cap Equities" and favored sectors like Financials, Industrials, and Utilities.

What's on the Economic Calendar

Looking ahead, Friday's economic data docket was light. The main item for investors was the final March reading on consumer sentiment, released at 10:00 a.m. ET.

Around the Markets: Oil, Gold, Crypto, and the World

Commodities and global markets were painting a mixed picture early Friday.

Crude oil futures were trading higher, up 1.45% to hover around $95.85 per barrel. Gold, however, was moving the other way. The spot price fell 1.25% to around $4,433.57 per ounce. For context, its last record high was $5,595.46 per ounce. The U.S. Dollar Index was slightly higher, up 0.11% at the 100.0070 level.

In crypto, Bitcoin was trading 2.27% lower at $68,231.67 per coin.

Asian markets mostly closed lower, with the exception of China's CSI 300 and Hong Kong's Hang Seng indices. India's Nifty 50, South Korea's Kospi, Japan's Nikkei 225, and Australia's ASX 200 all fell. European markets were also lower in early trade, following the global trend.

So there you have it. A market looking for direction, weighed down by geopolitics and high rates, but with enough individual stock drama to keep things interesting. Sometimes the story isn't just about the indexes—it's about the Unitys soaring on good news and the Datacentrexes getting hammered for raising cash.