Wall Street stock index futures pointed to a lower open Monday after the three-day weekend.

Investors will focus their attention on a barrage of corporate earnings throughout the week, including reports from key U.S. financial firms such as Goldman Sachs Group, J.P. Morgan Chase and Citigroup.

In other corporate news, the U.S. Treasury has directed General Motors to lay the groundwork for a bankruptcy filing by a June 1 deadline, the New York Times reported Sunday.

Oil-company shares could come under pressure, after Chevron said following Thursday’s closing bell that it expects its first-quarter 2009 earnings to be “sharply lower” than in the fourth quarter of 2008.

Oil futures fell in electronic trade Monday, losing US$1.56 a barrel to trade at US$50.68 in recent trade.

Here at home, Cobalt Energy Ltd. has reached a deal that would see the junior oil and gas producer acquired by Bonterra Oil and Gas Ltd.

The Calgary-based company said Monday that the all-stock deal has a total value of $5.5 million.

The Canadian dollar opened at US81.60¢ on Monday, down 0.02 of a cent from Thursday’s close.

In Asia, shares ended mostly higher, although Japan’s Nikkei average fell 0.4% in a choppy trading session.

Taiwan and Singapore stock measures were up 1% to 2%. Hong Kong, India, Thailand, New Zealand and Australia were closed for a public holiday Monday.

European markets were also closed for the Easter Monday holiday.

On Thursday, financials and energy stocks carried the Toronto Stock Exchange sharply higher, despite news that Canada’s unemployment rate reached 8% in March, its highest level in seven years.

The S&P/TSX composite index surged 217.84 points, or 2.4%, to finish at 9.187.12. For the week, the benchmark index gained roughly 1%.

Companies on the Venture Exchange also enjoyed gains Friday, sending the S&P/TSX Venture composite index up 18.27 points, or 1.9%, to 968.97.

The main indexes in New York also advanced on Thursday, boosted by news that Wells Fargo expects to report record net income of approximately US$3 billion in the first quarter.

The Dow Jones industrial average rose 246.27 points, or 3.1%, to finish at 8,083.38, up 0.8% for the week.

The S&P 500 index added 31.40 points, or 3.8%, to end at 856.56, a 1.7% boost from last Friday’s close.

The Nasdaq composite index climbed 61.88 points, or 3.9%, to 1,652.54, a weekly gain of 1.9%.

IE