So, here we are on a Friday morning, and the market is feeling pretty good about itself. U.S. stock futures are ticking higher, and the reason isn't some blockbuster economic data—there isn't any scheduled today—but something a bit more geopolitical. Investors are breathing a sigh of relief that maybe, just maybe, things are calming down in the Middle East.

President Donald Trump said the Iran war "should be ending pretty soon," describing developments as "going along swimmingly" during remarks in Las Vegas on Thursday. That followed the announcement of a temporary ceasefire between Israel and Lebanon. When the person in charge says a war is going "swimmingly" and should end soon, markets tend to like that. It's the kind of headline that makes people a little less worried about oil supply shocks and global instability, and a little more willing to buy stocks.

This recent optimism around a potential peace deal has been lifting equities all week, putting all three major indexes on track for solid weekly gains. The Dow is up about 1.4%, while the S&P 500 and Nasdaq have advanced roughly 3.3% and 5.2%, respectively. Not too shabby.

But it's not all geopolitics. Investors also have their eyes on earnings, particularly from the financial sector. We've got State Street Corp (STT), Truist Financial Corporation (TFC), and Fifth Third Bancorp (FITB) reporting before the bell. It's like a mini-bank earnings day. Their stocks were showing modest moves in pre-market trading—nothing dramatic yet, but everyone's waiting to see what the numbers say about loan growth, net interest margins, and all that good banking stuff.

Meanwhile, in the bond market, the 10-year Treasury was yielding 4.305%, and the two-year was at 3.773%. The CME Group's FedWatch tool's projections show markets pricing a 99.5% likelihood of the Federal Reserve leaving the current interest rates unchanged in its April meeting. So, no surprises expected from the Fed next week—everyone seems to think they'll just sit tight.

The SPDR S&P 500 ETF Trust (SPY) and Invesco QQQ Trust ETF (QQQ), which track the S&P 500 and Nasdaq 100, respectively, were higher in premarket trading on Thursday. The SPY was up 0.21% at $701.07, while the QQQ gained 0.16% to $641.40. So, the ETFs are following the futures higher, which is what you'd expect.

Stocks In Focus

Netflix

Alright, let's talk about Netflix (NFLX). This one's having a rough go. Shares fell 9.6% on Thursday after the streaming giant issued a tepid forecast and said co-founder and chairman Reed Hastings would step down from the board in June. The stock is extending those losses and was last down 9.84% at $97.18 in pre-market trading on Friday. Ouch. When a founder steps down and the guidance isn't great, investors tend to vote with their feet—or rather, their sell orders.

Market data indicates that NFLX maintains a strong price trend in the short and medium terms, with a solid growth and quality score. But that's based on historical data; the market is clearly reacting to the new, less cheerful news.

Truist Financial

Over in banking land, shares of Truist Financial (TFC) were down 0.38% in trading before the bell on Friday, as the lender gears up for its first quarter print before markets open. Analysts expect the Charlotte, North Carolina-based company to report quarterly earnings of $1.00 per share. That's up from 89 cents per share in the year-ago period. So, expectations are for growth, which is good. We'll see if they deliver.

Market data indicates that TFC maintains a strong price trend in the short, medium and long terms, with a solid growth and momentum score. That suggests some underlying strength, but earnings day can always bring surprises.

State Street Corp

Another financial name on deck: State Street Corp (STT). Shares were down 0.87% in pre-market trading on Friday, as the financial services firm is expected to report quarterly earnings at $2.63 per share on revenue of $3.66 billion before the opening bell, according to market data.

Market rankings show strong price trends and a solid momentum and growth score for STT, but a weak quality ranking. So, it's a bit of a mixed bag—good momentum, but maybe some concerns about the underlying business quality.

Microsoft

On the brighter side, shares of software giant Microsoft Corp (MSFT) rose over 3% in premarket trading on Friday, putting the stock on track for a full week of gains. Momentum in megacap tech and improving sentiment around Azure and earnings continue to support the move. When Microsoft is up, it tends to pull the whole tech sector along with it.

Market rankings show strong growth and quality for the stock, but weak momentum and value, with only a short-term positive price trend, while medium and long-term outlooks remain negative. That's interesting—short-term pop, but some longer-term concerns. For today, though, investors are happy to ride the wave.

Cues From Last Session

Looking back at Thursday, corporate earnings and outsized moves in select stocks dominated trading. Gains in PepsiCo (PEP) contrasted with sharp declines in Abbott Laboratories (ABT) and Charles Schwab (SCHW), while Netflix slipped in late trading following its results. It was a classic earnings-driven day—some wins, some losses, and everyone reacting to company-specific news.

Upcoming Economic Data

There is no economic data scheduled for Friday. So, no big reports to shake things up—just earnings and geopolitical vibes.

Commodities, Crypto, And Global Equity Markets

Over in the commodity world, WTI Crude oil futures were trading lower in the early New York session by about 3.3% to hover around $91.4 per barrel. International benchmark Brent crude fell 2.6% to $96.7 per barrel at last check. That drop in oil prices lines up with the easing Middle East tensions—if war fears fade, the risk premium in oil prices tends to come out.

Gold Spot US Dollar rose held steady at around $4,795.34 per ounce at last check. Its last record high stood at $5,595.46 per ounce. The U.S. Dollar Index spot was down 0.12% at the 98.09 level. Gold isn't moving much, which makes sense if investors are feeling less panicky.

Meanwhile, Bitcoin (BTC) was last exchanging hands at a 1.22% higher price of $75,721.23, as per the last 24 hours. Crypto doing its own thing, as usual.

Asian markets mostly fell on Friday in stark contrast to Wall Street's record rally, on cautious optimism over the Middle East conflict. Japan's Nikkei 225, Hong Kong's Hang Seng, South Korea's Kospi, Mainland China's CSI 300, and Australia's ASX 200 fell. However, India’s NIFTY 50 ticked higher. European markets were mostly in the green. So, a mixed global picture, but the U.S. is leading the charge on optimism today.