NEW YORK (CNNMoney.com) - Stocks could get a lift Monday from lower oil prices and signs of decreasing tensions over the Iranian nuclear program.

U.S. stock futures were up, indicating a higher open for U.S. markets, as oil prices were lower in early trading. On Sunday, Russian news agencies reported progress on talks to have a joint Russian-Iranian uranium enrichment program.

The April light crude futures contract for NYMEX fell 84 cents to $62.07 a barrel in electronic trading, while the April contract for Brent crude lost 80 cents to $61.80.

Major markets in Asia closed higher Monday and major European markets also were up in early trading.

Treasury prices were lower changed, lifting the yield on the benchmark 10-year note at 4.58 percent from 4.57 percent late Friday. The dollar was higher against the euro and the yen.

Economic readings Monday include a government report on new home sales. Economists surveyed by Briefing.com forecast that new home sales slipped to a annual rate of 1.26 million homes in January, down from a 1.27 million pace in December.

In corporate news, British utility National Grid (Research) has agreed to buy U.S. natural gas utility KeySpan (Research) for around $7.3 billion in cash, paying $42 a share, or a premium of just over 1 percent from Friday's closing price. Keyspan shares are up 15 percent since it confirmed merger talks Feb. 17.

The Wall Street Journal reported that General Electric (Research) and an investment fund of Australia's Macquarie Bank Ltd. are each vying to purchase a big stake in TXU (Research), the largest electricity company in Texas.

The U.S. Army has decided to reimburse Halliburton (Research) for nearly all of the $263 million in disputed costs over a contract to deliver fuel and repair oil equipment in Iraq, according to a report in the New York Times Monday.

Dubai Ports World, a company owned by the United Arab Emirates that has agreed to buy Britain's port management firm P&O, said Sunday it had asked for furtherreview of its deal to buy management rights to terminals at major U.S. ports, as it tried to answer an outcry from U.S. lawmakers over possible security risks.

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