LONDON, England - April 8, 2010 - World markets slid Thursday amid mounting worries about a potential Greek debt default as the country's borrowing costs continue to go through the roof.

In Europe, the FTSE 100 index of leading British shares was down 67.15 points, or 1.2%, at 5,694.91 while Germany's DAX fell 75.65 points, or 1.2%, at 3,959.29. The CAC-40 in France was 67.71 points, or 1.7%, lower at 3,959.26.

Wall Street was also poised to open lower after sizable falls Wednesday in the wake of disappointing data showing that consumer credit in the U.S. fell by $11.5 billion in February and a suggestion from Thomas Hoenig, a rate-setter at the U.S. Federal Reserve, that borrowing costs should start rising soon - Dow futures were down 43 points, or 0.4%, at 10,806 while the broader Standard & Poor's 500 futures fell 5.5 points, or 0.5%, at 1,173.50.

However, the main point of interest in the markets Thursday ahead of the European Central Bank rate decision is what is going on with Greek borrowing costs in the money markets - earlier the spread between Greek and German 10-year bond yields widened to 4.4 percentage points earlier, its highest level since the euro was introduced in 1999. The higher the spread, the less confidence markets are showing in Greece's ability to pay.