Growth concerns hit stock markets hard

LONDON (AP) — Global growth concerns hit stocks hard Friday, while the euro was hurt by a sharp disagreement in Europe over how to deal with Greece's debt crisis.

A smaller than anticipated Chinese trade surplus in May and a slump in British industrial production in April added to the view that global growth is slowing — and not just in the U.S.

Stocks around the world, but particularly in the U.S., have been under pressure over the past few weeks as a run of weak economic data stoked fears that the global recovery is running out of steam despite historically low interest rates and money injections.

"The global economy is embarking on a 'soft patch' and this is …