* Aussie gains on strong jobs data, triggers broad dlr fall
* Dollar index down 0.5 pct at 76.069 <.DXY>
* Risk appetite picks up after strong Alcoa <AA.N> earnings
* ECB, BoE keep policy unchanged, as expected
* Gold rallies to record high for third straight session
(Adds quote, updates prices)
By Tamawa Desai
LONDON, Oct 8 (Reuters) - The U.S. dollar fell broadly on
Thursday, pressured by gains in the Australian dollar and as
rising equity markets fuelled demand for riskier assets at the
expense of the U.S. currency.
The euro held its gains against the dollar after the
European Central Bank left interest rates unchanged at a record
low 1.0 percent, as expected.
But traders remained wary of any comments by ECB President
Jean-Claude Trichet on the euro's recent strength when he holds
a news conference at 1230 GMT.
"If there is to be a currency implication, the most likely
would be some modest dollar upside if Trichet reiterates the
importance of a strong dollar to recovery prospects," said
Daragh Maher, deputy head of FX strategy at Calyon.
Earlier, the Bank of England also left its extremely easy
monetary policy unchanged, as expected. But sterling saw a
slight pullback as the central bank reiterated it would keep its
asset-buying programme under review.
Thursday marked the first anniversary of the major central
banks' surprise coordinated rate cut to bolster confidence after
the collapse of Lehman Brothers.
The euro was up 0.4 percent against the greenback at $1.4754
<EUR=> while sterling was up 0.6 percent at $1.6056 <GBP=D4>.
The dollar index, a measure of the greenback against six
major currencies, was down 0.5 percent on the day at 79.069, not
far off its 2009 low set last month at 75.827 <.DXY>.
Gold prices <XAU=> rallied to record highs for a third
successive session in Europe on Thursday, as persistent dollar
weakness fuelled fund buying of the metal as an alternative to
the U.S. unit.
AUSSIE SURGES
The Australian dollar surged, rising 1.5 percent on the day
to trade above $0.90 for the first time in 13 months and test
options barriers at $0.9050 <AUD=D4>.
The Aussie also hit a two-week high against the yen at 80.02
yen <AUDJPY=R>.
Australian data beat expectations for a fall in jobs in
September, with 40,600 positions created instead, pushing the
Aussie to a 14-month high against the U.S. currency as markets
anticipated more interest rate hikes to come.
U.S. aluminium producer Alcoa Inc reported a surprise third
quarter profit, which boosted overall bullishness about a global
recovery. European stocks <> rose 0.9 percent and Wall
Street futures pointed to a higher open too.
"The dollar looks like it will continue to fall as long as
equities continue to hold or rally," said Maurice Pomery,
managing director of Strategic Alpha in London.
"Treasury yields remain soft and in fact, lower levels could
be seen," he said, noting the strong 10-year Treasury auction on
Wednesday which drew solid demand from "indirect bidders", often
thought to be foreign central banks.
The dollar was down 0.2 percent against the yen at 88.38 yen
<JPY=>. Wednesday's eight-month low of 88.01 yen was the most
immediate target, and a break below would bring January's
13-year low of 87.10 yen into view as traders test how far and
fast Japan's Ministry of Finance will let the yen strengthen.
(Additional reporting by Jamie McGeever, editing by Nigel
Stephenson)
