S&P 500 Index opens little changed near 3,400

• Wall Street's main indexes opened near Monday's closing levels.
• Major sectors of the S&P 500 trade mixed.
• Investors wait for the Conference Board's Consumer Confidence data.

Following Monday's sharp decline, major equity indexes in the US started the day little changed as investors seem to be refraining from taking large positions ahead of the presidential election. Additionally, the surging number of confirmed coronavirus cases globally forces participants to adopt a cautious stance.

At the moment, the S&P 500 is up 0.1% on the day at 3,403, the Dow Jones Industrial Average is losing 0.17% at 27,638 and the Nasdaq Composite is gaining 0.55% at 11,424.

Among the 11-major S&P 500 sectors, the Consumer Discretionary Index is up 0.55% as the biggest daily percentage gainer. On the other hand, the Energy Index is down 1.5%.

Later in the session, the Conference Board's Consumer Confidence data will be looked upon for fresh impetus.

S&P 500 chart (daily)