Stock index futures were little changed on Tuesday as investors awaited the Federal Reserve's assessment of the economy.

* The Fed is expected to leave interest rates unchanged and evaluate its recent massive bond-buying program to support the economy. The announcement is due at about 2:15 p.m. EST.

* Also, Fed officials will likely revise their economic outlook to reflect stronger growth after the White House and congressional Republicans agreed to extend tax breaks and provide a payroll tax cut, effectively delivering fresh stimulus.

* Economic indicators on tap include November producer prices and November retail sales at 8:30 a.m. EST. Economists in a Reuters survey expect a 0.2 percent gain in core U.S. producer prices, and a 0.6 percent increase in retail sales.

* The dollar hovered near a December low against the euro, although the single currency could struggle to extend its gains after its jump on Monday triggered a wave of stop-loss buying and forced traders to lighten their euro short/dollar long positions ahead of the Fed meeting.

* S&P 500 futures rose 2.8 points and were slightly above 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 slipped 3 points, while Nasdaq 100 futures added 4.25 points.

* The European Central Bank is considering requesting an increase its capital to help cope with the rising costs of fighting the debt crisis, sources told Reuters.

* HCP Inc , a healthcare real estate investment trust, will buy most of the real estate assets of privately held nursing and assisted living firm HCR ManorCare Inc from Carlyle Group . The stock was down 0.8 percent at $32.25 in premarket trade.

* Yahoo Inc plans to lay off more than 600 employees, sources said.

* Drugmaker Pfizer Inc

named board member George Lorch as nonexecutive chairman, a week after its chairman and chief executive abruptly departed.

* Best Buy Co is the only S&P 500 company scheduled to report quarterly results on Tuesday.

* The Nasdaq ended eight straight winning sessions on Monday as large-cap technology stocks slid in a late-day selloff.

(Reporting by Angela Moon; editing by Jeffrey Benkoe)

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