NEW YORK (CNN/Money) -
Warren Buffett and Martha Stewart could be the names that move stocks when the markets open for business Monday.
At 8:20 a.m. ET, futures pointed to a higher start for the major indexes.
Buffett, the billionaire investor and chairman of Berkshire Hathaway, blasted the Bush administration-backed tax cuts and criticized the "epidemic of greed" in CEO compensation. He also said he's concerned about the nation's trade deficit. His comments came in his annual letter to shareholders this weekend.
As for Stewart, investors will have had the weekend to consider the impact on the company that bears her name of her conviction last Friday. Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia (MSO: Research, Estimates) shares fell nearly 23 percent to $10.86 after rising sharply just before the guilty verdicts.
The Dow Jones industrial average and the Nasdaq composite index are both coming off weekly gains that snapped losing streaks. On Friday, the Dow was up 0.1 percent while the Nasdaq was down 0.4 percent (see chart for details).
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For details of Friday's session, click above
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Asian-Pacific stocks closed mixed Monday, with Tokyo's Nikkei index down 0.3 percent. European markets edged higher in early trading. (Check the latest on world markets)
Among U.S. stocks trading in Europe, IBM (IBM: Research, Estimates) was up slightly. The Wall Street Journal reported Monday that the 5,000 jobs the computer company plans to create in the United States this year will be more than offset by jobs being moved outside the United States.
Treasury prices rose in early trading, sending the 10-year note yield down to 3.83 percent from 3.85 percent late Friday. The dollar gained slightly against the yen and euro.
Brent oil futures rallied 2 cents to $33.37 a barrel in London. Gold was slightly lower.
Among stocks to watch Monday morning is Eastman Kodak (EK: Research, Estimates). The company, shifting its focus to digital photography from its traditional film and developing business, said Monday the acquisition of two printing units from Heidelberger Druckmaschinen will hurt 2004 earnings by about 20 cents a share. Kodak shares were down 96 cents to $26.83 in European trading from Friday's U.S. close.
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