Israel-Lebanon ceasefire, Microsoft’s first-ever buyouts, Starbucks’ loyalty program and more in Morning Squawk

Happy Friday. Congratulations to the NFL’s first-round draft picks. CNBC’s Alex Sherman spoke to No. 1 pick Fernando Mendoza ahead of his big night.

Stock futures are mixed this morning after a negative day for all three major indexes.

Here are five key things investors need to know to start the trading day:

Crude oil prices are lower this morning amid reports that Iranian negotiators are heading to Pakistan, boosting investor hopes that U.S.-Iran peace talks might resume.

An extended ceasefire between Israel and Lebanon announced yesterday is also adding to traders’ optimism. President Donald Trump said Thursday that the two countries extended their ceasefire for three weeks following a meeting at the White House.

Earlier in the day, Trump said he ordered the U.S. Navy “to shoot and kill any boat” laying mines in the Strait of Hormuz. As CNBC’s Spencer Kimball writes, the U.S.-Iran war has evolved into a naval standoff over the strait, a key passageway for the world’s oil trade.

It wasn’t just tech investors: Workers in the sector also had a rough day yesterday.

Microsoft announced on Thursday that it is offering voluntary buyouts to about 7% of its U.S. employees — a first for the company. The plans follow multiple rounds of layoffs last year. Meanwhile, Big Tech peer Meta said it will cut about 8,000 employees, or 10% of its workforce, and terminate hiring plans for 6,000 open roles.

Nike also said it was axing 1,400 roles yesterday — mostly its tech department — in its second round of layoffs this year.

Regeneron is the latest pharmaceutical company offering discounts through deals with the White House.

The biotech company will cut prices on drugs for some American consumers and provide the first hearing-loss gene therapy for free to eligible U.S. patients, the White House said yesterday.

As CNBC’s Annika Kim Constantino notes, Regeneron is joining a growing group of drugmakers lowering prices in exchange for being exempted from Trump’s steep pharmaceutical tariffs. The Trump administration has so far inked 17 deals, with more expected, CMS deputy administrator Chris Klomp said yesterday.

Starbucks made big adjustments to its loyalty program. As CNBC’s Amelia Lucas reports, it’s paying off.

Customers are increasingly taking advantage of the coffee chain’s rewards: Starbucks’ first “free Mod Monday,” for example, saw more than double the number of point redemptions than a previous Monday promotion. Hundreds of thousands of members are also using personal cups to get double the number of stars — a double-digit increase since the changes were put in place.

Keep your ears open next week: Starbucks’ loyalty-program shakeup will likely come up on the company’s earnings call scheduled for Tuesday after the bell.

Here are some stories you might have missed this week:

— CNBC’s Sean Conlon, Lola Murti, Lora Kolodny, Tobias Burns, Katie Tarasov, Jordan Novet, Jonathan Vanian, Laya Neelakandan, Kevin Breuninger, Spencer Kimball, Jason Gerwitz, Annika Kim Constantino and Amelia Lucas contributed to this report.

Davis Giangiulio assisted in the production of this newsletter. Josephine Rozzelle edited this edition.