(Recasts with preliminary close of trading)

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

billion

* CoreWeave ( CRWV ) gains on $8.5 billion loan to expand AI

infrastructure

* US job openings fall more than expected in February

By Noel Randewich and Purvi Agarwal

March 31 (Reuters) - Wall Street ended sharply higher on

Tuesday, lifted by speculation about a potential de-escalation

in the Middle East conflict that has sent oil prices soaring and

fueled fears of global inflation in recent weeks.

All three major U.S. indexes rallied after the Wall Street

Journal reported on Monday that 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.

U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said the next few days in

the Iran war would be decisive and warned Tehran that the

conflict would intensify if it did not make a deal.

The month-long war has left the S&P 500 and the Dow on track

for their deepest quarterly declines since 2022 as investors

worry that a wave of higher fuel costs could hurt demand for

goods and services, while forcing the U.S. Federal Reserve to

raise interest rates to contain inflation.

"What you're seeing in capital markets today is speculation

around an earlier off-ramp, or a cessation of hostilities," said

Bill Northey, senior investment director at U.S. Bank Wealth

Management, in Billings, Montana.

"Details are light, but the capital markets are looking for

any indication that there is an opportunity for a more normal

flow of energy through the Strait of Hormuz."

The U.S. stock market's most valuable companies made big

gains, with Nvidia ( NVDA ), Alphabet, Meta Platforms ( META )

and Amazon ( AMZN ) all higher.

The PHLX chip index also jumped.

CoreWeave ( CRWV ) rallied after securing an $8.5 billion loan

to expand AI infrastructure. Marvell Technology ( MRVL ) surged

after Nvidia ( NVDA ) invested $2 billion in the firm.

Many technology stocks have taken a beating in 2026 due to

worries that Microsoft, Alphabet, Amazon ( AMZN ) and other heavyweights

may be taking too long to show results from their massive

spending in AI.

According to preliminary data, the S&P 500 gained

185.09 points, or 2.91%, to end at 6,528.81 points, while the

Nasdaq Composite gained 797.83 points, or 3.84%, to

21,592.47. The Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 1,118.69

points, or 2.47%, to 46,334.83.

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

record-high closes, confirming they were both in corrections.

U.S. job openings fell more than expected in February and hiring

dropped to the lowest level in nearly six years, government data

showed.

The oil spike stemming from the Iran war has revived

inflation worries, and money market traders think the Fed is

more likely to raise interest rates by year-end than lower them,

according to CME Group's FedWatch Tool.

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. McCormick ( MKC ) shares fell.

Constellation Energy ( CEG ) dropped after forecasting 2026

profit below Wall Street expectations.