U.S. stock futures traded mixed on Friday morning as investors closely monitored developments in the Middle East. After the markets closed yesterday, President Donald Trump confirmed that Israel and Lebanon agreed to extend their ceasefire by three weeks. Meanwhile, Intel (INTC) stock soared as investors cheered the chipmaker’s solid results and guidance. Futures on the Nasdaq 100 (NDX) and the S&P 500 Index (SPX) were up 1.30% and 0.40%, respectively, while futures tied to the Dow Jones Industrial Average (DJIA) were down 0.05% at 8:16 a.m. EDT on April 24.
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New trading tool for QQQ bullsMeanwhile, oil prices pulled back on hopes of easing geopolitical tensions in the Middle East. Notably, Reuters reported that Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi will travel to Islamabad, Pakistan, sparking optimism about negotiations between the U.S. and Iran. At the time of writing, international benchmark Brent crude (CM:BZ) fell 0.41% to $104.64 per barrel, while WTI crude (CM:CL) was down 0.99% to $94.85.
In Thursday’s regular trading session, major indexes ended lower amid geopolitical tensions and weakness in software stocks following results from IBM (IBM) and ServiceNow (NOW). Overall, the Nasdaq Composite fell 0.89%, while the S&P 500 and Dow Jones fell 0.41% and 0.36%, respectively.
Turning to trending stocks, Intel shares rallied about 28% in Friday’s pre-market trading after the chipmaker reported upbeat Q1 2026 results and issued better-than-expected guidance on AI-driven CPU demand. Advanced Micro Devices (AMD) stock jumped 11% as Intel’s earnings report reassured investors about the demand backdrop. Moreover, DA Davidson upgraded AMD stock to Buy, citing “structural increase in CPU demand.”
Also, Procter & Gamble (PG) stock rose about 3% after the consumer staples giant reported better-than-anticipated fiscal third-quarter results.