European indexes seen down 1.6-2.3 pct -bookmakers

LONDON Oct 23 (Reuters) - European shares are set to open sharply lower on Thursday, according to financial bookmakers, extending the previous session's slide and tracking weakness in the U.S. and Asian markets on growing recession fears.

Financial bookmakers expected Britain's FTSE 100 .FTSE to open down 56 to 63 points, or as much as 1.6 percent, Germany's DAX .GDAXI to open 83 to 105 points lower, or as much as 2.3 percent, and France's CAC 40 .FCHI to be down 51 to 59 points in the open, or as much as 1.8 percent.

The FTSEurofirst 300 .FTEU3 index of top European companies slumped 5.4 percent on Wednesday, while U.S. stocks tumbled to five years lows as investors grappled with an increasingly dire outlook for the global economy following a raft of disappointing profits and outlooks for major U.S. companies.

In Asia, Japan's Nikkei average .N225 fell 3.4 percent on Thursday. (Reporting by Dominic Lau)