By Polya Lesova, MarketWatch FRANKFURT (MarketWatch) -- Oil futures fell below $69 a barrel early Monday, as the dollar strength and concerns over position limits pressured energy prices. Crude oil for October delivery dropped 52 cents, or 0.8%, to $68.77 a barrel in electronic trading on Globex. Oil futures tumbled nearly 4% on Friday, but crude still ended last week up 1.9%. "Crude prices are trading lower today amid a stronger dollar and amid a decision by a U.S. exchange to enforce" limits on large positions as of Sept. 14, wrote Nimit Khamar, analyst at Sucden Financial Research, in a note to clients. The "trade row between China and the U.S. is also weighing on market sentiment, as increased protectionism could hinder a global economic recovery," Khamar said. The CME Group Inc. (CME 274.79, -0.86, -0.31%) said in an advisory notice on Friday that it will adopt substantially harmonized rules on position limits at the CME, CBOT, Nymex and Comex exchanges effective on Monday. The detailed advisory outlined the sanctions, which include fines, in case of position limit violations. Also weighing on oil prices was modest dollar strength. The dollar index (DXY 76.97, +0.32, +0.42%) , which tracks the performance of the greenback against a basket of other major currencies, gained 0.3% to 76.919. U.S. stock futures Monday fell on concerns about the prospect of a trade war between China and the U.S. Over the weekend, Washington imposed stiff tariffs on Chinese-made tires, and China said it would launch an anti-dumping investigation into U.S. sales of chicken and auto products.

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