Before the bell:

U.S. stocks were poised to open lower Friday, possibly tilting the direction for the full week as well.

Investors have endured a slew of disappointing economic reports in recent days, but have found solace in the Federal Reserve's likely continued support of the market -- even after its $600 billion bond-buying program expires at the end of June.

Companies: After debuting Thursday on the New York Stock Exchange, shares of LinkedIn (LNKD) more than doubled from their IPO price -- making it one of the biggest tech IPOs since Google (GOOG, Fortune 500).

Shares of Barnes & Noble (BKS, Fortune 500) jumped 26% in premarket trading after the bookseller announced a proposal to be bought by Liberty Media for $17 per share in cash, a nearly $1 billion buyout offer.

World markets:

Oil for June delivery gained 36 cents, or 0.2%, to $98.80 a barrel. The contract for June oil settles Friday. The July contract, which is more active, rose 36 cents to $99.29.

Gold futures for June delivery rose $2.50, or 0.2%, to $1,494.90 an ounce.

Silver futures for July delivery shaved 10 cents, or 0.3%, to $34.83 an ounce.

Bonds: The price on the benchmark 10-year U.S. Treasury edged slightly higher, pushing the yield down to 3.15%.