By Herbert Lash and Marc Jones NEW YORK (Reuters) – U.S. and European shares slid while benchmark euro zone yields hit an eight-year high on Thursday after the European Central Bank prepared to hike interest rates next month for the first time since 2011 and as pending inflation data spooked investors. While the ECB decision was widely expected, the possibility of a larger hike from September weighed on sentiment as the euro zone economy grapples with slowing growth and soaring inflation. Shares on Wall Street tumbled, with the S&P 500 and Nasdaq falling more than 2%, as the market awaited the…