NEW YORK (CNNMoney) -- U.S. stocks were set to open lower Monday, following world markets after China lowered its annual growth target. Investors anticipate a busy week full of news on Greece's rescue package and the domestic labor market.

The Dow Jones industrial average (INDU), S& P 500 (SPX) and Nasdaq (COMP) futures were all about 0.4% lower ahead of the opening bell. Stock futures indicate the possible direction of the markets when they open at 9:30 a.m. ET.

World markets were in the red Monday, after Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao set a  lower target for China's economic growth, underscoring the need to make the country's breakneck development more sustainable.

The government is aiming for economic growth of 7.5% in 2012, Wen said -- lower than the goal for last year of about 8%. The Chinese economy often exceeds the official objective: last year it grew 9.2%.

On the domestic front, investors will head into the week looking for more evidence of a U.S. recovery under way, while keeping an tabs on developments on Europe's debt crisis.

European leaders  inked a pact on Friday  aimed at ensuring fiscal discipline across the continent. However, they have yet to make a decision on the size of the " financial firewall" that many believe is necessary if countries like France and Spain face further distress.

Stocks closed  modestly lower Friday, with the Dow snapping a three-week winning streak.

World markets:  European stocks retreated in morning trading. Britain's FTSE 100 (UKX) lost 0.5%, the DAX (DAX) in Germany dropped 1.1% and France's CAC 40 (CAC40) shed 0.8%.

Asian markets ended lower. The Shanghai Composite (SHCOMP) closed down 0.6%, while the Hang Seng (HSI) in Hong Kong lost 1.4% and Japan's Nikkei (N225) dropped 0.8%.

Economy:  Reports are due Monday morning on the services sector and factory orders. 

Last week, the ISM Manufacturing Index for February slipped to 52.4, from 54.1 in January. The February edition of the ISM Services Index is expected to come in at 56.0, down from 56.8 in the month prior.

January factory orders are expected to have decreased by 1.9%, according to a survey of analysts by Briefing.com, after ticking up by 1.1% in December.

Coming later in the week are data on consumer credit and the all-important monthly jobs report.

Companies: Online reviews site Yelp (YELP) will look to continue its momentum Monday, after shares  spiked 64%  to top $24 a share in their debut on the New York Stock Exchange Friday.

Currencies  and  commodities:  The dollar strengthened against British pound, but fell versus the euro and the Japanese yen.

Oil for April delivery slipped 86 cents to $105.84 a barrel.

Gold futures for April delivery fell $11.20 to $1,698.60 an ounce.

Bonds:  The price on the benchmark 10-year U.S. Treasury rose, pushing the yield down to 1.98% from 1.99% late Friday. 

  NEW YORK (CNNMoney) -- U.S. stocks were poised to open lower Thursday, as nervous investors continue to question whether Greece will secure a second bailout.

Investor sentiment was further dampened after Moody's put 17 global banks and 114 European financial institutions on review for possible downgrades.

The Dow Jones industrial average (INDU), S& P 500 (SPX) and Nasdaq (COMP) futures fell between 0.1% and 0.3% ahead of the opening bell. Stock futures indicate the possible direction of the markets when they open at 9:30 a.m. ET.

Among the global banks possibly affected by Moody's review -- nine are headquartered in Europe, the agency said. Moody's added that Swiss banks Credit Suisse (CS) and UBS (UBS), as well as New York-based Morgan Stanley (MS,  Fortune 500), could see their long-term ratings slashed by up to 3 notches.

Meanwhile, uncertainty remains over Greece and its efforts to secure much-needed additional bailout funds. European finance ministersdelayed a decision  on the bailout Wednesday, as they continue to evaluate a proposed austerity program from Athens.

Is Japan the next Greece?

The Eurogroup meets again on Monday and indicated it would likely give its approval for the latest economic reform proposal, which Greece needs in order to secure bailout funds and avoid defaulting on a €14.5 billion bond redemption in March.

U.S. stocks  closed lower Wednesday, as the euro hit a 1-week low on uncertainty over Greece's debt crisis.

World markets:  European stocks were in the red in morning trading. Britain's FTSE 100 (UKX) fell 0.7%, the DAX (DAX) in Germany dropped 1% and France's CAC 40 (CAC40) shed 0.4%.

Asian markets ended lower. The Shanghai Composite (SHCOMP) and the Hang Seng (HSI) in Hong Kong slipped 0.4%, while Japan's Nikkei (N225) edged lower 0.2%.

Economy:  Reports due Thursday morning include initial unemployment claims, producer prices and data from the housing market. Investors will look to see whether the economic data offers further signs that the U.S. is on the path to economic recovery, after a number of  strong macroeconomic reports  in recent weeks.

Initial unemployment claims for the week ended February 11 are expected to total 365,000, according to a survey of analysts by Briefing.com -- up from 358,000 in the week prior.

Housing starts for January are expected to total 671,000, while the Producer Price Index for January is expected to have increased by 0.3%.

Companies: Corporate earnings are on tap from firms including General Motors (GM,  Fortune 500), DirecTV (DTV,  Fortune 500) and J.M. Smucker (SJM,  Fortune 500).

General Motors is expected to post quarterly earnings of 41 cents a share on $38.2 billion in revenue, according to a survey of analysts by Thomson Reuters.

Wanted: Americans for factory jobs

DirecTV is expected to report earnings of 92 cents a share on $7.4 billion in revenue, while J.M. Smucker is projected to post earnings of $1.41 per share on $1.5 billion in revenue.

Currencies  and  commodities:  The dollar was higher against the euro, the British pound and the Japanese yen.

Oil for March delivery slipped 47 cents to $101.33 a barrel.

Gold futures for April delivery fell $8.40 to $1,719.70 an ounce.

Bonds:  The price on the benchmark 10-year U.S. Treasury rose, pushing the yield down to 1.92% from 1.93% late Wednesday.  

NEW YORK (CNNMoney) -- U.S. stocks were headed for a rally on the first day of 2012, as investors welcome stronger manufacturing reports out of emerging economies.

In early trading, Dow Jones industrial average (INDU) futures were up 1.7%, S& P 500 (SPX) futures gained 1.8% and Nasdaq (COMP) futures rose 2%. Stock futures indicate the possible direction of the markets when they open at 9:30 a.m. ET.

U.S. markets were closed for the New Year holiday on Monday.

" There's an element of catch-up for the U.S.," said David Jones, chief market strategist at IG Index. " Probably more importantly, we've had some strong manufacturing data out for China and India that was better than expected."

Over the weekend, the Chinese government released its official reading onmanufacturing activity, showing the sector expanded slightly in December, after contracting the month before. And on Monday, a report compiled by HSBC and Markit showed India's manufacturing activity picked up significantly during the month.

Investors worldwide are tuning in closely to economic numbers out of China in particular, because its rapid growth has led the global recovery -- but recent figures have shown  some signs of weakness.

Stocks in 2012: Choppy but higher

U.S. stocks  finished little changed Friday, bringing to an end a year in which the S& P dropped just 0.04 points -- the smallest annual change in history.

The Dow rose 5.5% for the year, while the Nasdaq lost 1.8%.

Trading was slow all last week, with many investment professionals on break for the holidays.

In addition, few major economic and earnings reports were released, leaving investors mulling the same macro problems that moved markets through much of the year. As trading begins in 2012, all eyes remain on Europe and its long-running  sovereign debt crisis.

Economy:  The December installment of the ISM Manufacturing Index, due after the market open, is expected to rise to 53.4 from 52.7 in November, according to a consensus of economists surveyed by Briefing.com. Any reading above 50 signals expansion in the sector.

The government will release data on construction spending for the month of November . Analysts surveyed by Briefing.com expect construction spending to have risen by 0.5%, after rising 0.8% in October.

Also on Tuesday, the  Federal Reserve  will release minutes from its Dec. 13 meeting.

Companies: Chesapeake Energy (CHK,  Fortune 500) shares rose 3.2% in premarket trading, after the Oklahoma City-based energy company announced it completed a venture with an affiliate of French oil company Total (TTFNF) that gives the French firm a 25% stake in more than 600,000 acres in eastern Ohio, an area rich in shale oil.

World markets:  European stocks were mixed in midday trading. Britain's FTSE 100 (UKX) rose 1.2%, the DAX (DAX) in Germany added 1% and France's CAC 40 (CAC40) lost 0.5%.

The Hang Seng (HSI) in Hong Kong added 2.4% Markets in Shanghai (SHCOMP) and Tokyo (N225) were both closed for an extended New Year holiday.

Currencies  and  commodities:  The dollar fell against the euro, the British pound and the Japanese yen.

Oil for February delivery added $2.59 to $101.42 a barrel.

Gold futures for February delivery rose $27.30 to $1,594.1 an ounce.

Bonds:  The price on the benchmark 10-year U.S. Treasury fell, pushing the yield up to 1.95% from 1.87% late Friday.