GLOBAL MARKETS-World stocks slide on US jobless, Greece woes

* U.S. jobless claims, durable goods prompt recovery fears

* Dollar gains vs euro, falls vs yen on risk aversion

* Stocks fall as U.S. woes pile onto Greek ratings worries (Recasts, adds details, updates prices, changes byline, changes dateline prev London)

By Luciana Lopez

NEW YORK, Feb 25 (Reuters) - A jump in new claims for U.S. jobless benefits and orders for durable goods added to investor nervousness over a potential downgrade of Greek debt on Thursday, pulling global stocks lower and boosting the yen and the dollar.

Initial claims for U.S. unemployment benefits rose last week, defying expectations for a fall, as new orders for long-lasting U.S. manufactured goods excluding transportation unexpectedly fell in January.

The data underscored the fragile nature of recovery in the world's largest economy. For details see [ID:nN2597849]

Markets had already proved jittery after two major ratings agencies suggested they might downgrade the sovereign debt of fiscally-troubled Greece.

"Weaker-than-expected initial unemployment claims preceded by a threat to downgrade Greece are having a negative impact on equities," said Tom Sowanick, chief investment officer of the Omnivest Group in Princeton, New Jersey. "Will it last? Follow the euro for the answer."

Moody's said a change in Greece's rating would depend on the enactment of fiscal reform plans, and Standard & Poor's said a downgrade of one or two notches in the next month remains possible. See [ID:nN24204733] and [ID:nTOE61O07J]

"This recovery is going to be a difficult one and a choppy one," said Julia Coronado, senior U.S. economist with BNP Paribas in New York.

The dollar dropped to a session low of 88.95 yen , its lowest in about three weeks, according to Reuters data. It last traded at 88.99 yen, down 1.34 percent on the day.

The euro fell as low as $1.3452, near a nine-month low of $1.3442 hit on Friday, according to Reuters data. It last traded at $1.3525, down 0.07 percent.

Stocks fell as well.

The FTSEurofirst 300 <.FTEU3> index of top European shares sank to 997.54, down 1.59 percent, after touching a session low of 995.33.

At 10:09 a.m. (1509 GMT), the Dow Jones industrial average <.DJI> was down 174.05 points, or 1.68 percent, at 10,200.11. The Standard & Poor's 500 Index <.SPX> was down 17.41 points, or 1.58 percent, at 1,087.83. The Nasdaq Composite Index <.IXIC> was down 34.53 points, or 1.54 percent, at 2,201.37.

World stocks measured in the MSCI All-Country World Index <.MIWD00000PUS> slid 1.51 percent percent.

U.S. Treasuries benefited from a desire for less risky investments.

The benchmark 10-year U.S. Treasury note was up 12/32, with the yield at 3.6456 percent. The 2-year U.S. Treasury note was up 2/32, with the yield at 0.8355 percent.

Borrowing costs for peripheral euro zone countries rose on concerns over Greece, with the 10-year Greek/German bond yield spread widening to as much as 365 basis points (bps) from 342 bps on Wednesday.

The equivalent Spanish spread moved out by as much as five bps to 81 bps as concerns grew that the country might become the next in the euro zone to struggle under the weight of a large budget deficit.

In Asia, Japan's Nikkei average closed down 1 percent.

Commodity prices also fell, with U.S. light sweet crude oil down $2.07, or 2.59 percent, to $77.93 per barrel. (Additional reporting by Wanfeng Zhou and Jennifer Ablan in New York and Dominic Lau and William James in London; Editing by Padraic Cassidy)