* Ireland gets bailout, investor jitters remain
* Euro hovers near two-month lows versus the U.S. dollar
* Consumer shrs in focus as holiday shopping starts strong
* Futures down: Dow 30 pts, S&P 3.7 pts, Nasdaq 6 pts (Adds quote, byline, updates prices)
By Rodrigo Campos
NEW YORK, Nov 29 (Reuters) - U.S. stock indexes were set to dip at the open on Monday in what could be a choppy session as investors battle between lingering worries about Europe's ability to contain a credit crisis and signs of a U.S. consumer comeback.
U.S. shoppers appeared to be ready to open their wallets again after the recession, spending 6.4 percent more than last year during the Black Friday weekend, the traditional start to the holiday shopping season.
European stocks slipped 1 percent and the euro fell to two-month lows against the U.S. dollar after European Union finance ministers endorsed an 85 billion-euro loan package to help Ireland bridge its deficit and shore up the economy.
Nervousness about Ireland and the possibility it could lead to bigger problems as the euro zone works its way through a sovereign debt crisis has weighed on stocks in recent weeks.
"I'm not sure what we know today (about Ireland) that we did not know going into the weekend," said Art Hogan, chief market analyst at Boston-based Jefferies & Co.
He said the euro could move lower before stabilizing -- which could hurt equities, commodities and other risky assets.
But he added that the strong holiday shopping season was supportive of U.S. stocks. "All of our indications so far show it has been not as promotional and pretty robust in terms of numbers," Hogan said.
Online retailer Amazon.com Inc rose 1.5 percent to $179.94 in premarket trading.
S&P 500 futures fell 3.7 points and were below fair value, a formula that evaluates pricing by taking into account interest rates, dividends and time to expiration on the contract. Dow Jones industrial average futures dropped 30 points and Nasdaq 100 futures was off 6 points.
Bank shares were among the top decliners in European markets U.S.-traded shares of European banks fell, with Deutsche Bank down 3.8 percent to $48.61 and Banco Santander off 2.3 percent to $9.72. But an exchange-traded fund of U.S. financial stocks was mostly unchanged in light morning trade.
Adding to global jitters, South Korean President Lee Myung-bak vowed retaliation against any further provocation after the North attacked a South Korean island last week and anger grew at the South's response..
Wal-Mart Stores Inc made a $2.3 billion formal bid for 51 percent of Massmart Holdings Ltd to give it a substantial presence in South Africa and pave the way for further expansion in the continent..
Commodity-related shares led U.S. stocks lower on Friday in a shortened post-holiday session. Markets were closed on Thursday for the U.S. Thanksgiving holiday.