* Wall Street down after weak U.S. economic data
* Euro gains vs dollar after Spain's debt sales
* Spot gold rises, crude oil slips
By Daniel Bases
NEW YORK, June 17 (Reuters) - U.S. stocks fell on Thursday after weak economic data added to worries about a fragile recovery, while European shares and the euro rose after reassuring demand for Spanish government bonds.
Prices for gold rose on a combination of safe-haven demand and a weaker U.S. dollar. Crude oil prices slipped.
An index of factory activity in the U.S. mid-Atlantic region in June plunged to its lowest level since August 2009, adding to worries that a tepid U.S. economic recovery is fizzling. [ID:nN17165505]
Higher-than-expected weekly claims for U.S. jobless benefits and the largest drop in U.S. consumer prices in nearly 1-1/2 years also weighed on U.S. shares and caused European shares to pare early gains. [ID:nN17254724]
"A few months back, the economy seemed to be on better footing, and now data is casting some doubt about the economic recovery. People are trying to evaluate that in front of the earnings season," said Giri Cherukuri, head trader at Oakbrook Investments LLC in Lisle, Illinois.
In midday New York trade the Dow Jones industrial average <.DJI> fell 41.50 points, or 0.40 percent, to 10,367.96. The Standard & Poor's 500 Index <.SPX> lost 3.84 points, or 0.34 percent, to 1,110.71. The Nasdaq Composite Index <.IXIC> dropped 5.32 points, or 0.23 percent, to 2,300.61.
U.S. consumer discretionary shares were among the biggest
drags, with home goods retailer Bed, Bath & Beyond Inc
Consumer spending typically accounts for about two-thirds of U.S. economic activity, making the weak labor market a source of ongoing concern.
European shares closed higher for a seventh straight session on Thursday, even as the U.S. data diminished risk appetite.
The FTSEurofirst 300 <.FTEU3> index of top European shares closed up 0.25 percent at 1,041.84 points as solid demand for Spain's auction of government bonds boosted investor confidence in the euro zone's economic outlook.
Oil major BP Plc
EUROPEAN DEBT SALES
The euro rose against the dollar after Spain's ability to sell bonds soothed worries about the country's public finances and squeezed short positions by investors who had been betting against the single currency.
The euro rose 0.41 percent against the dollar to $1.2357
Against the yen, the euro dropped 0.20 percent to 112.29
yen
Spain's auction of 3.5 billion euros ($4.3 billion) worth of 10-year and 30-year government bonds drew strong demand, although it paid a hefty premium compared with previous issues of the same paper.
While the debt succeeded in finding buyers, analysts remained cautious about Spain's funding prospects.
"Spain ... wanted to show it could issue paper without problems. But they paid a lot to get the paper away," said Huw Worthington, a bond strategist at Barclays Capital in London.
The well-covered auction helped narrow the spread of
Spanish yields over benchmark Bunds from an earlier euro
lifetime high of 237 basis points.
The spread snapped back after the auction and was last at 214 basis points.
"The strong demand for Spanish bonds should help restore confidence, said Ciaran O'Hagan, strategist at Societe Generale.
The two-year Schatz yield
Benchmark 10-year U.S. Treasuries rose 19/32 of a point in
price, pushing the yield down to 3.19 percent
In commodities, spot gold prices