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* Futures up: Dow 0.15%, S&P 500 0.21%, Nasdaq 0.42%

April 14 (Reuters) - U.S. stock index futures rose on

Tuesday as traders held onto hopes of a de-escalation in the

Middle East conflict, while awaiting March producer price data

and a fresh round of corporate earnings.

U.S. President Donald Trump said Iran had been in touch on

Monday and wanted to make a deal, but said he would not sanction

any agreement allowing Tehran to have a nuclear weapon.

However, even the faintest hope of an off-ramp was enough to

encourage investors eager to latch on to any positive news.

At 04:44 a.m. ET, Dow e-minis rose 74 points, or

0.15%, U.S. S&P 500 E-minis climbed 14.5 points, or

0.21%, and Nasdaq 100 E-minis advanced 107.75 points, or

0.42%.

"Given the potential for further talks, investors remained

hopeful that a de-escalation would be achieved, even as

yesterday saw the U.S. blockade begin...," analysts at Deutsche

Bank said in a note.

The U.S. military began a blockade of all maritime traffic

entering or leaving Iranian ports and coastal areas after

weekend talks between Washington and Tehran failed to reach a

deal to end the war.

EARNINGS EYED FOR DIRECTION

A busy slate of quarterly earnings is also expected to

provide cues on direction.

Financial heavyweights including JPMorgan Chase ( JPM ),

Wells Fargo ( WFC ), Citigroup ( C ), BlackRock ( BLK ), and

healthcare giant Johnson & Johnson ( JNJ ) are among the

companies scheduled to report results on Tuesday.

"Despite a messier macro backdrop, we believe the earnings

season begins from a constructive fundamental starting point,"

said Anthony Saglimbene, chief market strategist at Ameriprise

Financial.

"The next few weeks of profit reports will likely need to

confirm that earnings momentum is broad enough and guidance firm

enough to support stock prices after a period of elevated

volatility and, in some pockets, still above-average

valuations."

Wells Fargo ( WFC ) shares slipped 0.8%, while Citi dipped 0.6% in

premarket trading ahead of earnings. JPMorgan ( JPM ) was flat, and

BlackRock ( BLK ) rose 0.6%. J&J was 0.6% lower.

A fresh reading of the producer price index is also awaited,

days after separate data showed that U.S. consumer prices

increased by the most in nearly 4 years in March, driven by a

record jump in gasoline and diesel costs.

Later in the day, commentary from several Federal Reserve

policymakers will be parsed for hints on how the central bank is

assessing the impact of the U.S.-Iran war.

Chicago Fed President Austan Goolsbee, Boston Fed President

Susan Collins, Fed Governor Michael Barr, Richmond Fed President

Tom Barkin, and Philadelphia Fed President Anna Paulson are due

to speak.

Elsewhere, United Airlines and American Airlines ( AAL )

rose 1.5% and 4.3%, respectively.

United Airlines CEO Scott Kirby pitched a potential merger with

American Airlines ( AAL ) to U.S. President Donald Trump in late

February, two sources said, raising the prospect of an

industry-reshaping deal likely to face significant regulatory

hurdles.