By Silvia Amaro, CNBC–

U.S. stock futures were set to open slightly higher Monday morning.

At around 01:40 a.m. ET, Dow futures rose 54 points, indicating a positive open of more than 61 points. Futures on the S&P and Nasdaq were both also marginally higher.

Investors are waking up to new data out of China, which showed that exports unexpectedly fell in August with a large contraction for shipments to the United States. The drop indicates further weakness in the world’s second largest economy and puts further pressure on Chinese lawmakers to announce new economic stimulus. A weaker Chinese economy raises concerns for other countries, including Germany, given their trading links.

Market sentiment is also somewhat cautious on the back of a disappointing U.S. jobs report at the end of last week.

On the data front, there will be new consumer credit figures out at 3:00 p.m. ET.

There are no major corporate earnings to note. However, in corporate news, Apple on Monday denied allegations that it broke Chinese labor laws.