Nasdaq, S&P 500 Futures Rise With ‘War Trade’ Unwinding: Why NFLX, WSHP, PBM, HIMS, NVDA Are Keeping Traders Engaged Today

• The 10-day ceasefire between Israel and Lebanon has gone into effect, while President Donald Trump struck an optimistic tone on the resolution with Iran.
• Markets are beginning to price in de-escalation in the Middle East, sending crude below $100 and nudging equities higher.
• Netflix slumped on weak guidance, while Nvidia remains under scrutiny amid rising skepticism despite its AI leadership.

U.S. stock futures rose early Friday as investors weighed the likelihood of a resolution to the Middle East crisis. A 10-day ceasefire is in effect between Israel and Lebanon. 

Meanwhile, President Donald Trump on Thursday stated the war in Iran “should be ending pretty soon” and described negotiations as “going along swimmingly,” to reopen the Strait of Hormuz. Both countries are expected to resume peace talks over the weekend. Crude oil prices fell below $100/barrel on easing geopolitical tensions, while defense-linked companies found favor among investors.

As of 4:00 a.m. ET on Friday, Dow futures rose 0.3%, S&P 500 futures gained 0.1%, Nasdaq futures were flat, and Russell 2000 futures were up 0.2%. 

Retail sentiment toward the SPDR S&P 500 ETF (SPY), an exchange-traded fund that tracks the S&P 500 Index, and the Invesco QQQ Trust (QQQ) ETF, which tracks the Nasdaq-100 Index, has flipped to ‘extremely bullish,’ a sharp move from the ‘bearish’ sentiment earlier this week. 

Trending Stocks To Watch

Netflix (NFLX): Shares fell nearly 10% in early pre-market trade following a disappointing forecast and the news that co-founder Reed Hastings will exit the board in June. However, CEO Ted Sarandos highlighted that the company’s cash position remains elevated following the failed bid for Warner Bros. 

Psyence Biomedical (PBM): The stock is attracting heavy retail attention on reports that the White House is preparing an executive order to support further federal research into the psychedelic compound ibogaine.

WeShop Holdings (WSHP): The stock has nearly quadrupled in value over the past five sessions and is on track to log its best weekly performance since late November. Retail interest is surging ahead of its results, which are due later this month. 

Nvidia (NVDA): The AI giant remained under scrutiny after ‘The Big Short’ investor Michael Burry criticized CEO Jensen Huang’s recent podcast appearance. Burry claimed that Huang ‘squirmed and obfuscated’ when questioned about the company’s long-term moat and geopolitical risks.

Hims & Hers Health (HIMS): Shares have been gaining attention this week, with new signals from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) suggesting that its testosterone therapy could be the next growth driver for this telehealth firm.

Defense IPO Watch: Drone maker AEVEX (AVEX) raised $320 million in its IPO, pricing at $20 per share, and is set to debut on the NYSE today. Meanwhile, Arxis (ARXS) soared 36% in its Nasdaq debut on Thursday.

AST SpaceMobile (ASTS) has confirmed the BlueBird 7 launch for Sunday, April 19.

Other tickers trending on Stocktwits at the time of writing included Verizon (VZ), Iren Limited (IREN), Sidus Space (SIDU), and Rumble Inc (RUM). 

Other Catalysts To Watch

On the economic front, no notable data release is expected. Traders will be watching commentary from a host of Fed speakers throughout the day, including Richmond Fed President Tom Barkin and Fed Governor Christopher Waller. 

On earnings radar, watch out for quarterly reports from Fifth Third Bancorp (FITB), State Street (STT), Regions Financial (RF), Ally Financial (ALLY), Truist (TFC), and reAlpha Tech Corp (AIRE), among others, today.

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