NEW YORK (CNNMoney.com) – Stocks dipped Monday as investors considered a weaker dollar, a better-than-expected reading on manufacturing and the start of the holiday shopping period.

Worries about Dubai’s debt problems eased although questions still remained about the potential fallout.

The Dow Jones industrial average (INDU) lost 21 points or 0.2% more than 2-1/2 hours into the session, while the S&P 500 (SPX) index lost 2 points or 0.2%. The Nasdaq composite (COMP) lost 11 points, or 0.5%.

Monday marked the first full trading session in five days, with all financial markets closed for Thanksgiving and stocks only trading in a half-session Friday.

Stocks tumbled in that shortened session Friday on a strong dollar and the problems in Dubai. However, the major indexes were also vulnerable to a selloff after touching 13-month highs in the previous session.

Dubai and global markets: The United Arab Emirates said Sunday that it will provide emergency support for banks in Dubai, cooling some worries that a debt default in the city-state could challenge the global economic recovery.

Stocks around the globe slumped last week after the Dubai government asked to defer payments on $60 billion in debt owed by Dubai World and Nakheel. Dubai World is the city-state’s main investment arm and Nakheel is its real estate arm.

Dubai’s construction boom has helped turn the Emirate into a world financial center and tourist hot spot. But Dubai has suffered from the same real estate collapse that battered the U.S. economy, with values plummeting even as pricey projects continue to get underway.

Dubai stocks plummeted Monday, the first trading day in the region after a 4-day religious holiday. Asian markets managed gains Monday, after tumbling last week. European markets tumbled, with London’s FTSE 100, Germany’s DAX and France’s CAC 40 all losing at least 1%.

Economy: The Chicago PMI, a regional read on manufacturing, rose to 56.1 in November from 54.2 in October. Economists surveyed by Briefing.com thought the index would fall to 53.3. Any reading over 50 indicates expansion.

Mortgage regulation: In other news, the Obama administration said it will up the pressure on mortgage companies that aren’t doing enough to help borrowers who are at risk of foreclosure – including imposing fines and sanctions.

Retail: The first wave of reports for the critical Thanksgiving holiday weekend indicate that more Americans turned out this year to take advantage of deals, but the shoppers spent less than a year ago, on average.

According to the National Retail Federation, around 195 million people shopped in stores and online between Thanksgiving and Sunday, versus 172 million a year ago. But average spending per person dropped to $343.31 from $372.57 a year ago. Total spending for the holiday was $41.2 billion, up around 0.5% from the $41 billion spent last year.

On Monday, the focus turned more directly to the Internet, for a day called Cyber Monday, when shoppers at home and at work take to the Internet to scour for further deals.

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