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* Futures: Dow, S&P 500 flat, Nasdaq up 0.14%

April 15 (Reuters) - U.S. stock index futures were

largely unchanged on Wednesday as investors caught their breath

after a rally, while awaiting fresh signals from a raft of

corporate earnings and remarks from Federal Reserve officials.

Hopes that Washington and Tehran could return to the negotiating

table have supported equities this week, despite the U.S.

military blockade of Iranian ports.

The resilience suggests that war-weary investors stand ready

to rotate into risk assets at the slightest hint of

de-escalation.

At 05:00 a.m. ET, Dow e-minis and U.S. S&P 500

E-minis were flat, while Nasdaq 100 E-minis rose

35.5 points, or 0.14%.

The benchmark S&P 500 index, however, is nearing its

first intraday record high since the conflict erupted.

BANK RESULTS IN SPOTLIGHT

Another busy day for corporate earnings will be scrutinized

for clues on how companies are navigating the impact of the war.

Investors are due to hear from Bank of America ( BAC ), the

second biggest U.S. lender, and Wall Street heavyweight Morgan

Stanley ( MS ) on Wednesday.

Their shares were up 0.4% and 0.1%, respectively, in the

premarket session ahead of earnings.

So far this week, banks have said that U.S. consumers are

financially healthy and that pipelines for IPOs and deals should

remain robust unless the conflict drags on for much longer.

Still, some analysts warn that as stocks climb, they may

become more vulnerable to sharp reversals if developments in the

Middle East do not match the optimistic assumptions many are

pricing in.

"U.S. equities appear to be looking through risks still

being priced in commodity markets," BofA Global Research

analysts wrote.

"With the ceasefire appearing fragile and signs of stress in

commodity markets still evident, the equity retracement appears

to be looking through the risks of re-escalation."

Oil prices fell on Wednesday but remain 31% above pre-war

levels.

The International Monetary Fund cut its outlook for global

growth on Tuesday, citing the war-driven energy price spikes. An

extended conflict could also push the world to the brink of a

recession, it warned.

Additionally, traders will hear commentary from Federal

Reserve Governor Michael Barr and Fed Vice Chair for Supervision

Michelle ​Bowman on Wednesday.

Among individual stock movers, Nike ( NKE ) rose 2.7% after

CEO Elliott Hill bought additional stock in the company.

Broadcom ( AVGO ) advanced 3.2% after Meta extended its

custom chips deal with the firm.