NEW YORK (CNN/Money) -
Continued dollar weakness and the impact of this weekend's Northeast snowstorm on the economy -- particularly on the retail sector in the midst of the holiday session -- will be among the things on Wall Street's mind as the trading week begins.
At 7:20 a.m. ET, futures pointed to a weak start for the major indexes.
The dollar touched a record low against the euro for the seventh consecutive trading session as investors reacted to the weaker-than-expected employment figures released last Friday. The euro stood at $1.2209, up from $1.2166 late Friday. Against the yen, the dollar tested a three-year low at ¥107.60.
The storm affected the East Coast from the Carolinas to Boston, dumping as much as two feet of snow in some spots. At least eight deaths were attributed to the weather.
The bad weather came less than three weeks until Christmas, during what's usually a busy -- although not quite the busiest -- shopping weekend. Investors will be looking to see if the empty malls and discount stores will have an impact on the overall retail picture, or if the sales were just shifted to online merchants and until next weekend.
One industry that might have felt the snow's impact was movies. Industry watcher Exhibitor Relations said ticket sales were down 27 percent from the Thanksgiving weekend and the No. 1 film at the box office, the Tom Cruise drama "The Last Samurai," pulled in just $24.4 million for producer Warner Bros. "Considering what we faced on the East Coast, we're very, very pleased," said Dan Fellman, president of distribution at Warner Bros. Pictures -- which, like CNN/Money, is a unit of Time Warner Inc. (TWX: Research, Estimates)
Among U.S. stocks trading in Europe, Time Warner was 1.5 percent lower in early trading.
The Dow Jones industrial average begins the week at 9,862.68, up last week despite a 0.7 percent decline Friday following the employment figure disappointment. The Nasdaq composite index was down for the week, after touching 2,000 in midsession on Wednesday, after a 1.6 percent drubbing Friday.
Asian-Pacific stocks ended mostly lower, with tech stocks pacing a 3.2 percent decline for Tokyo's Nikkei index. European markets were lower in early trading. (Check the latest on world markets)
Treasury prices were little changed in early trading, with the 10-year note yield at 4.23 percent.
Brent oil futures rallied 31 cents to $29.05 a barrel in London, where gold rose to $408 an ounce, its highest level since early 1996.
Among other stocks to watch is mortgage provider Freddie Mac (FRE: Research, Estimates). Trying to regain investor confidence after an accounting scandal, the company named former American Stock Exchange chief executive Richard Syron as its chairman and chief executive Sunday. Freddie Mac shares rose 10 cents Friday to $55.35.
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