* Euro hit by Greek worries
* World stocks flat, Europe rises
* Wall Street set for losses
By Jeremy Gaunt, European Investment Correspondent
LONDON, April 6 (Reuters) - The euro fell against both the dollar and yen on Tuesday on renewed worries about Greek debt but European equities hit fresh 18-month highs, outperforming flat global share markets.
Wall Street looked set to open lower.
Jitters about Greece returned to the market after a newspaper report said Athens was seeking to raise $5 billion to $10 billion from U.S. investors to help cover its May borrowing requirement. [ID:nSGE635060]
Greece was also reported separately to be seeking to amend the deal struck late last month with European Union partners to provide an emergency safety net. [ID:nSGE635012]
One result was a sell-off in the euro, which was down half a
percent against the dollar at $1.3415
"There's speculation that the financial situation in Greece will become increasingly difficult," said Lutz Karpowitz, currency strategist at Commerzbank in Frankfurt. "Negative news about Greece will continue to pressure the euro."
Euro zone government debt prices also fell. The June Bund
future
The interest rate-sensitive two-year Schatz yield
Five-year Greek credit default swaps -- the cost of insuring Greek debt -- rose.
Euro zone bonds were also catching up from the long Easter weekend, which saw some positive U.S. economic data, including on jobs.
EUROPEAN STOCKS RISE
World stocks as measured by MSCI <.MIWD00000PUS> were flat to higher, with European stocks holding up the benchmark.
European shares hit a new 18-month high, tracking gains in the United States, where sentiment was boosted by a stronger labour market.
The FTSEurofirst 300 <.FTEU3> index of top European shares was up half a percent after rising 1.4 percent in the previous session to its highest close since September 2008.
The European benchmark is up more than 70 percent from its low of March 9, 2009.
Britain's FTSE 100 <.FTSE> gained half a percent and hit fresh 21-month highs as Prime Minister Gordon Brown formally called a general election for May 6.
Earlier, Japan's Nikkei average dipped 0.5 percent, after repeatedly touching 18-month highs in recent days. (Additional reporting by Naomi Tajitsu and George Matlock; Editing by Susan Fenton) (To read Reuters Global Investing Blog click on http://blogs.reuters.com/globalinvesting; for the MacroScope Blog click on http://blogs.reuters.com/macroscope)