GLOBAL MARKETS-Global stocks fall on US jobless data, China CPI

* Spike in Chinese consumer inflation dents recovery hopes

* Copper slips, oil falls below $82 on China CPI concerns

* U.S. bond prices slip ahead of 30 year auction

* Dollar Libor highest since November pre-FOMC (Updates with open of U.S. markets; adds byline, dateline)

By Herbert Lash and Jeremy Gaunt

NEW YORK/LONDON, March 11 (Reuters) - Global stocks slipped and the dollar wavered on Thursday after an inflation spike in China sparked concerns interest rates may head higher and a poor read on U.S. jobs data soured economic recovery hopes.

The inflation spurt in February to a 16-month high and a raft of economic data indicating broad-based strength in the Chinese economy provided fresh arguments that policy-makers would tighten sooner rather than later in China. For details see: [ID:nTOE6290B5]

"Nobody expects Chinese demand growth to be as strong as last year but any further tightening of lending will impact, especially with the U.S and Europe still on the road to recovery," said Carl Firman, an analyst at Virtual Metals.

Hopes for economic growth also suffered on U.S. data that showed continuing claims for jobless benefits jumped to 4.56 million, or more than expected, which spurred buying of low-risk U.S. Treasury debt on worries over the economy's strength. [ID:nN11199869]

"This shows that the labor market isn't getting stronger, which continues to be something that will negatively impact consumer spending," said Gary Shilling, president of an investment research firm in Springfield, New Jersey.

World stocks as measured by MSCI <.MIWD00000PUS> were off about 0.45 percent.

In early trade the Dow Jones industrial average <.DJI> was down 36.43 points, or 0.34 percent, at 10,530.90. The Standard & Poor's 500 Index <.SPX> was down 3.35 points, or 0.29 percent, at 1,142.26. The Nasdaq Composite Index <.IXIC> was down 5.70 points, or 0.24 percent, at 2,353.25.

Bond prices were pressured by anticipation of new supply from the auction of 30-year bonds. The benchmark 10-year U.S. Treasury note was down 3/32 in price to yield 3.73 percent.

Oil fell below $82 a barrel, retreating from an eight-week high hit a day earlier, as the Chinese inflation spike led investors to weigh the prospects of monetary tightening in a big world energy consumer. [ID:nSGE62A05U]

U.S. light sweet crude oil fell 19 cents to $81.90 a barrel.

The interbank cost of borrowing dollar funds hit its highest since Nov. 24 as speculation intensified about the timing of the first U.S. federal funds rate hike since December 2008. [ID:nLDE62A1GF]

The Federal Open Market Committee is expected to leave U.S. interest rates unchanged at between zero and 0.25 percent after its one-day meeting next Tuesday.

The dollar was trading at break-even against a basket of major currencies, with the U.S. Dollar Index <.DXY> almost flat at 80.441, off a previous session close of 80.445.

The euro was down 0.07 percent at $1.365 and against the yen the dollar was down 0.12 percent at 90.40.

Spot gold prices fell $1.25 to $1106.50.

Earlier in Asia Japan's Nikkei <.N225> rose nearly 1 percent with interest focused mainly on exporters. (Reporting by Ryan Vlastelica, Nick Olivari and Emily Flitter in New York; David Sheppard, George Matlock and Michael Taylor in London; writing by Herbert Lash, Editing by Chizu Nomiyama)