New Delhi, March 31 -- U.S. stocks are looking to end their worst quarter in four years with a big swing to the upside, as the final trading day of the month begins much like the first, with investors whipsawed by Iran war headlines and the latest set of contradictory signals from the White House.

The fog of war has stoked a massive surge in the market's so-called "fear gauge," the Cboe Group's VIX index, over the past two months, taking it to levels normally associated with extreme volatility.

The gauge was last marked at around 29 points, a level that suggests options traders are bracing for daily moves of around 115 points, or 1.8%, for the S&P 500 over the coming month.

Tuesday's early gains, expected to add around 1% to the benchm...