US STOCKS-Futures flat as focus turns to presidential debate

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* Futures off: Dow 0.07%, S&P 500 0.06%, Nasdaq 0.20%

By Devik Jain
Sept 29 (Reuters) - U.S. stock index futures were flat on
Tuesday as investors stayed away from making big bets ahead of
the first presidential debate, while awaiting a reading on
consumer confidence.
President Donald Trump and Democratic challenger Joe Biden
will square off later in the day in their first 90-minute
televised debate in Cleveland, Ohio, five weeks before the
election. Polls show Biden leading Trump nationally and in a
number of key battleground states. Wall Street's main indexes closed sharply higher on Monday
as bargain hunting for some laggard sectors, including energy
.SPNY and financials .SPSY , sparked a broad based rally.
A clutch of underwhelming macro-economic data, increase in
virus cases and uncertainty related to the presidential election
have weighed on markets, putting all three main indexes on track
for their worst monthly performance since pandemic-related
lockdowns.
However, as the third quarter comes to an end and despite
September's expected decline, the S&P 500 and the Nasdaq are set
for their best two-quarter winning streaks since 2009 and 2000,
respectively.
At 6:40 a.m. ET, Dow e-minis 1YMcv1 were down 19 points,
or 0.07%. S&P 500 e-minis EScv1 were down 2 points, or 0.06%
and Nasdaq 100 e-minis NQcv1 were down 22.5 points, or 0.2%.
Consumer confidence data for September could show signs of
slowing recovery from the pandemic-driven recession. The report
is expected at 10 a.m. ET.
Among stocks, Sorrento Therapeutics SRNE.O rose 8% in
premarket trading after the drugmaker said both of its COVID-19
antibody candidates showed potent neutralizing activities
against the novel coronavirus in a study in Syrian golden
hamsters.