U.S. stock index futures pointed to a lower open on Wall Street on Monday for the last session of the month, with futures for the S&P 500 down 0.78 percent, Dow Jones futures down 0.77 percent and Nasdaq 100 futures down 0.87 percent at 0825 GMT (4:25 a.m. EDT).

Oil dropped below $72 a barrel on Monday, as traders fretted about a sharp drop in China's key stock index, while metal prices also fell, with Shanghai copper retreating after recent strong gains.

Japan's Nikkei average fell on Monday as a stronger yen sent exporter shares lower and weak Shanghai stocks added pressure, erasing an earlier jump to an 11-month high after an opposition election win.

Chinese shares sank on Monday, with the Shanghai Composite Index <.SSEC> losing more than 6 percent and heading for its biggest monthly loss in 10 months, after corporate earnings failed to keep up with stock price gains and new share issues were poised to saturate the market. The index is still up 47 percent year-to-date.

European shares were down 0.6 percent in morning trade, dragged lower by banks and resource-related shares such as Credit Suisse and ArcelorMittal , but volumes were low as UK markets were closed for a holiday.

U.S. chemicals maker Huntsman Corp said on Monday it entered a stalking horse agreement to buy certain assets of bankrupt rival Tronox Inc for $415 million.

U.S. stocks mostly slipped on Friday after a weak consumer sentiment report offset positive news from bellwethers Dell Inc and Intel Corp . Support from the two companies, however, let the Nasdaq eke out a tiny gain.

The Dow Jones industrial average <.DJI> declined 36.43 points, or 0.38 percent, to end at 9,544.20. The Standard & Poor's 500 Index <.SPX> lost only 2.05 points, or 0.20 percent, to 1,028.93. The Nasdaq Composite Index <.IXIC> inched up 1.04 points, or 0.05 percent, to close at 2,028.77.

(Reporting by Blaise Robinson; Editing by Mike Nesbit)

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