Investing.com - U.S. futures pointed to a lower open on Monday as tensions over the the disappearance of Jamal Khashoggi, a U.S. resident and Washington Post columnist, kept investors on edge.
The blue-chip Dow futures fell 87 points, or 0.34%, by 7:07 AM ET (11:07 GMT), the S&P 500 futures lost 12 points, or 0.42%, while the tech-heavy Nasdaq 100 futures traded down 53 points, or 0.73%.
On Sunday, Saudi Arabia warned against threats to punish it over Khashoggi’s disappearance after he entered the Saudi consulate in Istanbul on Oct. 2, denying suggestions that the kingdom had murdered the journalist who was known for his criticism of Riyadh's policies.
U.S. President Donald Trump had stated that there would be "severe punishment" if it turns out Khashoggi was killed in the consulate.
On Monday, the Saudi King reportedly ordered an “internal probe” into the disappearance.
Even though U.S. stocks finished almost 300 points higher on Friday, they ended with weekly losses of around 4% as worries about the impact of a U.S.-China trade war, a spike in U.S. bond yields and caution ahead of the earnings season all dampened sentiment.
After the first three major U.S. banks - JP Morgan Chase (NYSE:JPM), Citigroup (NYSE:C) and Wells Fargo (NYSE:WFC) - all reported better-than-expected earnings to unofficially kick off the third quarter earnings season on Friday, Bank of America (NYSE:BAC) followed suit on Monday with its own results that beat consensus.
Charles Schwab (NYSE:SCHW) was also slated to release quarterly results ahead of the opening bell.
In other company news, Sears Holdings filed for bankruptcy early Monday after years of staying afloat through financial maneuvering, and announced that Eddie Lampert will be stepping down as CEO, effective immediately, although he remains its chairman.
On the economic front, the focus will be on September retail sales with economists forecasting a 0.7% after a meager 0.1% gain seen in the previous month.
Also released at 8:30 AM ET (12:30 GMT), the New York Fed’s Empire State manufacturing reading for the month of October will be watched for any signs any impact tariffs are having on the sector.
Elsewhere, European stocks fell to a 22-month low, as investors watched developments surrounding Brexit talks and Italy's budget drama.
Earlier, stocks in Asia slipped, with markets in China faring the worst. The mainland's benchmark Shanghai Composite fell by 1.5% to close at its lowest since November 2014
Meanwhile, oil prices were higher to start the week, as geopolitical tensions over the disappearance of the Saudi journalist stoked supply worries. International benchmark Brent futures gained 82 cents, or 1.02%, at $81.25 by 7:20 AM ET (11:20 GMT) a barrel, while U.S. crude futures on the New York Mercantile Exchange traded up 55 cents, or 0.77%, at $71.89.
Safe haven assets received a boost from risk-off sentiment with gold futures gaining 1%, while the Japanese yen and Swiss franc also saw buying interest.