* Futures up: Dow 1.16%, S&P 500 1.15%, Nasdaq 1.13%

* McCormick ( MKC ) gains after merger deal with Unilever's ( UL ) food

business

* Marvell Technology ( MRVL ) jumps after Nvidia invests $2 bln

* JOLTS data, Fed speakers on deck later in the day

(Updates before markets open)

By Purvi Agarwal and Twesha Dikshit

March 31 (Reuters) - Wall Street's main indexes were

poised to open higher on Tuesday, as markets welcomed a report

signaling potential de-escalation in the Middle East conflict

that has set the S&P 500 and the Dow on track for their biggest

monthly decline in years.

The Wall Street Journal reported on Monday U.S. President Donald

Trump told aides he was willing to end the military campaign

against Iran even if the Strait of Hormuz remained largely

closed.

The report soothed some investor nerves after a month-long

conflict that has battered global markets and left the S&P 500

and the Dow on track for their largest monthly falls since

September 2022. The benchmark S&P 500 was also headed for its

worst quarter since 2022.

Oil prices were volatile on Tuesday, but were headed for a

record monthly gain. The S&P 500 energy index has gained

more than 11% so far in March, the only sector set to end the

month in positive territory. It would also be the sector's

biggest quarterly gain on record.

"The move in markets is reflecting what traders want to see,

what they hear. They would like to hear that resolution to this

is quick and easily contained within one parsimonious sentence,"

said Mark Malek, CIO at Siebert Financial.

Malek said oil prices were still high because the Strait of

Hormuz was closed and that would ultimately "cause damage" to

the economy.

Last week, the Dow and the Nasdaq ended 10% below their

record high closes, confirming a correction. The small-cap

Russell 2000 confirmed it earlier this month.

At 08:50 a.m. ET, Dow E-minis were up 529 points, or

1.16%, S&P 500 E-minis were up 73.5 points, or 1.15%,

and Nasdaq 100 E-minis were up 261.75 points, or 1.13%.

Investors will also watch out for the job openings and labor

turnover survey (JOLTS) data for February, the first of the

labor market reports due in the holiday-shortened week.

Comments from Fed policymakers, including Austan Goolsbee and

Michelle Bowman, will also be parsed for any clues on the

Federal Reserve's monetary policy path after Chair Jerome Powell

said on Monday the Fed can wait to assess the impact from the

war.

The oil spike stemming from the Iran conflict has revived

inflation worries, prompting money market participants to price

out any easing from the Fed this year, compared with two cuts

expected before the war broke out, per CME Group's FedWatch

Tool.

Among premarket movers, shares of Marvell Technology ( MRVL )

jumped 8.4% after Nvidia invested $2 billion in the

chipmaker.

McCormick ( MKC ) shares fell 1.6%. Unilever ( UL ) agreed to

separate its food unit and merge it with McCormick ( MKC ) in a

cash-and-stock deal valuing the spice maker at about $44.8

billion.

Constellation Energy ( CEG ) dipped 5% after forecasting 2026

profit below Wall Street expectations.

U.S.-listed shares of Centessa Pharmaceuticals

surged 45.7% after Eli Lilly ( LLY ) said it would buy the

company in a deal valued at up to $7.8 billion.