Here's a fun way to start your Tuesday: stock futures are up. It's not a huge rally, but it's a solid green across the board after a mixed Monday. The mood seems to be getting a slight lift from the geopolitical front, where there's a hint that maybe, just maybe, things could start to de-escalate.

According to a report in the Wall Street Journal, President Donald Trump has hinted that the U.S. might be willing to end its military campaign against Iran even if the strategically vital Strait of Hormuz remains largely closed. That's a significant detail, as keeping that waterway open has been a major point of contention. In related news, Iran's foreign minister, Abbas Araghchi, called on Saudi Arabia to "eject" U.S. troops following an Iranian strike on an American air base. Meanwhile, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced that a joint U.S.-Israel mission in Iran has crossed a "significant threshold." So, the situation remains complex, but the market is latching onto any potential off-ramp.

On the interest rate front, things look quiet for now. The 10-year Treasury yield was at 4.32%, with the two-year at 3.82%. The CME's FedWatch tool shows markets are pricing in a 97.4% likelihood that the Federal Reserve leaves rates unchanged at its April meeting. So, no surprises expected from the Fed this month.

Here’s how the major index futures were shaping up in premarket trading:

The popular ETFs that track these benchmarks were also higher. The SPDR S&P 500 ETF Trust (SPY) was up 0.86% at $637.38, and the Invesco QQQ Trust ETF (QQQ), which follows the Nasdaq 100, advanced 0.80% to $562.73.

Stocks Making Moves

Beyond the broad market, several individual stocks were making significant moves on their own news.

Allbirds

Allbirds Inc. (BIRD) was the big winner, skyrocketing 19.40% before the bell. The shoemaker announced it has entered into a definitive agreement to sell all of its intellectual property and certain assets to American Exchange Group. Market data indicates BIRD has maintained a weak price trend over the medium and long terms but a strong trend in the short term.

Virgin Galactic Holdings

Virgin Galactic Holdings Inc. (SPCE) jumped 6.45% after reporting mixed financial results for the fourth quarter after Monday's close. Despite the pop, market data shows the stock maintains a weak trend across the long, short, and medium terms.

Nebius Group

Nebius Group NV (NBIS) was up 2.12% after announcing plans to construct a 310 MW AI Factory in Finland. Market data indicates NBIS has a weak price trend over the short and medium terms but a strong trend in the long term, coupled with a poor value score.

Rocket Lab

Rocket Lab Corp. (RKLB) gained 2.33% after receiving German regulatory approval for its acquisition of Mynaric. Market data shows RKLB maintains a weak price trend over the short and medium terms but a strong trend in the long term.

Nike

Nike Inc. (NKE) was up 1.19% ahead of its quarterly earnings report after the closing bell. Analysts expect the company to post earnings of 28 cents per share on revenue of $11.24 billion. Market data indicates NKE maintains a weak price trend across all timeframes with a poor growth score.

Looking Back at Monday

Monday's session was a mixed bag. Utilities, consumer staples, and financial shares led the S&P 500 higher, but those gains were offset by lagging industrials and tech stocks. The Nasdaq Composite ended up shedding 150 points.

What the Analysts Are Saying

LPL Financial is sticking with a constructive long-term outlook for the U.S. stock market. Their thesis hinges on the "resilience of corporate America" and what they see as a robust earnings backdrop.

They do acknowledge a "heightened risk of some additional near-term downside" thanks to the Iran conflict and volatile oil prices. But looking past that, they expect 2026 to be a "good year for stocks on the back of solid economic growth."

LPL is forecasting a sixth straight quarter of double-digit earnings growth for the S&P 500, projecting a mid-teens increase for the first quarter. They point to "massive artificial intelligence (AI) investment" and fiscal stimulus from the "One Big Beautiful Bill Act (OBBBA)" as key economic drivers.

On a technical level, they note that market internals have weakened—the S&P 500 is trading below its 200-day moving average—but they view the current pullback as a potential "discounted price" for future earnings. Even if company management turns cautious due to "disruptions to commodity supply chains," LPL believes the fundamental outlook remains bright. Their conclusion? "Once a path to ending the conflict becomes clear… stocks should get a nice jolt to the upside."

Tuesday's Economic Calendar

Here's what's on tap for investors today:

• At 9:00 a.m. ET: January's S&P Case-Shiller home price index data for 20 cities.
• At 9:45 a.m. ET: March's Chicago Business Barometer (PMI) data.
• At 10:00 a.m. ET: February's job openings (JOLTS) and March's consumer confidence data.
• At 12:00 p.m. ET: Chicago Fed President Austan Goolsbee speaks.
• At 3:00 p.m. ET: Fed Governor Michael Barr speaks.
• At 5:10 p.m. ET: Fed Vice Chair for Supervision Michelle Bowman speaks.

Commodities, Crypto, and Global Markets

In other asset classes, crude oil futures were down slightly, trading 0.28% lower around $102.59 per barrel in early New York trading.

Gold was having a better day, with the spot price up 1.34% to hover around $4,571.41 per ounce. Its all-time high stands at $5,595.46. The U.S. Dollar Index was marginally lower, down 0.09% at the 100.4190 level.

In crypto, Bitcoin (BTC) was trading 1.33% lower at $66,825.19 per coin over the last 24 hours.

Overseas, Asian markets mostly closed lower on Tuesday, with the exceptions of Hong Kong's Hang Seng and Australia's ASX 200. European markets were mostly higher in early trade.