Stocks fall slightly at the open

Stocks fell at the open to start the week on Wall Street Monday as the Standard & Poor's 500 index retreated slightly from record high levels.

The S&P 500 index was down 0.2% and the Dow Jones industrial average fell 0.3%. The Nasdaq composite index dipped 0.1%.

FRIDAY: S&P 500 bumps up to another record close

European shares were mixed Monday. London's FTSE 100 index was flat at 6,714 and Germany's DAX index was down 0.4% to 9,318. France's CAC 40 index was up 0.4% to 4,386.

In Asia, Japan's Nikkei 225 fell 1% to 15,120.14 and China's Shanghai composite index dropped 2.9% to 1,999.06. Hong Kong's Hang Seng fell 1.8% to 22,264.93.

Data released on the weekend showed China's exports fell by an unexpectedly large 18% in February, possibly denting hopes trade will help drive the slowing economy while communist leaders push ambitious reforms.

Among individual Asian shares, Malaysia Airlines' stock tumbled on news of the weekend disappearance of one its jets en route to Beijing. Shares of Malaysian Airlines System Bhd., the holding company of Malaysia Airlines, were down 8% on the Kuala Lumpur stock market.

FULL COVERAGE: Malaysia Airlines disaster

On Friday, stocks closed slightly higher as a better-than-expected employment report was offset by rising geopolitical concerns over Ukraine. The S&P 500 closed up a point, or 0.05%, to close at a record 1,878.04. The Dow rose 30.83 points, or 0.2%, to 16,452.72 and the Nasdaq composite lost 15.90 points, or 0.4%, to 4,336.22.

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Contributing: Associated Press