(Reuters) - U.S. consumer confidence fell in March after hitting a three-year high in the prior month as expectations about jobs and income growth worsened, according to a private sector report released on Tuesday. The Conference Board, an industry group, said its index of consumer attitudes fell to 63.4 in March from a revised 72.0 in February.

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(Reuters) - The U.S. Federal Reserve's $600 billion asset purchase program could be trimmed by some $100 billion given the recovery in the U.S. economy, St. Louis Federal Reserve President James Bullard said on Tuesday. He told an economic conference in Prague U.S. policymakers may not be willing or able to wait for all global uncertainties to be resolved before they begin normalizing their very loose monetary policy.

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(Reuters) - Shares in oil major BP (BP.L) fell 2.0 percent on Tuesday after a media report that the company's managers may face manslaughter charges following the Gulf of Mexico oil spill and an analyst downgrade. U.S. prosecutors are considering whether to pursue manslaughter charges against BP managers for decisions made before the explosion on the rig that killed 11 workers and caused the biggest offshore spill in U.S. history, a report from Bloomberg said, citing people familiar with the matter.

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(Reuters) - Standard & Poor's on Tuesday said it downgraded Greece's credit rating deeper into junk status on expectations the nation will have to borrow under emergency European stability plans. S&P lowered Greece's rating two notches to "BB-" from "BB+," and said it may lower its assessment again.

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(Reuters) - McCormick & Co (MKC.N) beat profit estimates for the fifth straight quarter, as the top U.S. spicemaker raised prices to offset high raw material and packaging costs, and saw strong demand in Asia and in its domestic market. Sparks, Maryland-based McCormick, which began operations in 1889 in Baltimore, sells spices, herbs, seasoning blends and sauces to grocers, warehouse clubs and discount and drug stores.

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(Reuters) - Japanese automakers including Toyota Motor Corp (7203.T) and Nissan Motor Co (7201.T) said on Tuesday it would be some time before they could return to full production after Japan's devastating March 11 earthquake and tsunami disrupted supplies to their plants. With some 500 parts affected, a Toyota spokesman said it was impossible to say when production would resume in full. A source with knowledge of the matter told Reuters that the automaker had told its main suppliers not to expect production to restart until at least April 11 -- exactly a month from the quake.

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(Reuters) - Oil prices slipped on Tuesday for a third consecutive day as rebels and government troops battled for supremacy in Libya and more bad news from Japan's stricken nuclear plant sapped investor confidence. Expectations of a relatively swift restoration of Libyan oil to the market had been building after the rebels mounted a two-day charge westwards, retaking oil towns, but momentum stalled on Tuesday as they hit fierce opposition around Nawfaliyah, 120km (75 miles) east of Sirte.

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(Reuters) - U.S. stock index futures edged higher on Monday, building a fourth days of gains, though developments in Japan, Libya and the Middle East kept alive the potential for volatile trading. The Dow Jones industrial average .DJI gained 14.07 points, or 0.12 percent, to 12,234.66. The Standard & Poor's 500 Index .SPX rose 2.49 points, or 0.19 percent, to 1,316.29. The Nasdaq Composite Index .IXIC added 8.26 points, or 0.30 percent, to 2,751.32.

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(Reuters) - Pending sales of previously owned U.S. homes unexpectedly rose in February, a trade group said on Monday, pointing to a modest pick-up in home sales. The National Association of Realtors said its Pending Home Sales Index, based on contracts signed in February, increased 2.1 percent to 90.8.

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(Reuters) - U.S. consumer spending rose for an eighth straight month in February as households tapped savings to cover higher food and energy prices. Spending rose 0.7 percent in February after a 0.3 percent increase in January, and inflation accelerated at its fastest pace since June 2009, the Commerce Department said on Monday.

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