* Greater risk appetite weighs on gold, lifts stocks
* GFMS sees gold spiking above $2,000/oz by year-end
* Gold set for second straight weekly loss
* Coming up: Reuters/U of Michigan sentiment index Friday (Recasts, updates prices, comment)
By Frank Tang and Jan Harvey
NEW YORK/LONDON, Sept 15 (Reuters) - Gold fell 2 percent to three-week lows on Thursday, as increasing efforts to contain the European debt crisis fueled another volatile session, further diminishing bullion's appeal as a safe haven.
Equities rallied after major central banks said they would cooperate to offer three-month U.S. dollar loans to commercial banks to prevent money markets from freezing up. A bearish double-top chart pattern in gold accelerated technical selling as prices slid below $1,800 an ounce.
Gold has lost 7 percent since hitting a record $1,920.30 last Tuesday.
"Any attempt to ease the fear or moving forward with the euro zone debt crisis is going to be viewed as positive by the markets, and nonetheless takes away the need for the safe haven assets such as bonds and gold," said David Meger, director of metals trading at futures broker Vision Financial Markets.
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U.S. gold futures for December
Silver
Most analysts said gold's long-term bull run remains intact, but some investors questioned the metal's ability to rise above $2,000 after its most volatile trade in two years, with bullion rising or falling more than 2 percent 12 times in the past 30 days.
"It seems like sentiment has swung back and forth significantly on a daily basis in the past several weeks. At the moment, gold is the readily traded asset being watched very closely by speculators and investors alike, creating volatility to the market of late," Meger said.
On charts, gold should find support at $1,702, a recent low reached in late August, representing the "neckline" of a bearish double-top pattern after bullion failed to extend gains above $1,900 an ounce twice in the past four weeks, said Adam Sarhan, CEO of New York-based Sarhan Capital.
"If we are not able to get above the all-time high, by definition the double top remains in place. In the short term, it's definitely going to be technical pressure," Sarhan said. (Graphic: http://r.reuters.com/bas73s )
Equities and the euro rose after coordinated actions by central banks eased any funding crunch created by Europe's sovereign debt crisis. European bank shares rallied.
Gold dropped as German government bond futures staged their largest one-day fall in six months on signs of more willingness from policymakers to solve Greece's debt crisis, prompting some to sell positions in safe-haven bonds. [GVD/EUR]
U.S. data showed an above-forecast rise in weekly U.S. jobless claims, August inflation cooling and a surprisingly large contraction in a reading of regional manufacturing.
HSBC, GFMS FORECAST $2,000 GOLD
UBS analyst Edel Tully said in a note that the U.S. Federal Reserve policy meeting next week could boost the gold market.
HSBC and metals consultancy GFMS said on Thursday they see gold rising above $2,000 an ounce, citing high government debt levels and instability in the currency markets.
GFMS, a unit of Thomson Reuters, said it expected gold to break through $2,000 an ounce by year-end, as recovering investment added to already strong bar, jewelry and official sector buying. [ID:nL5E7KE2V5]
Spot platinum
SETTLE CHNG CHNG VOL US Gold DEC 1781.40 -45.10 -2.5 1775.00 1829.70 220,466 US Silver DEC 39.501 -1.032 -2.5 39.400 40.850 44,847 US Plat OCT 1780.60 -35.30 -1.9 1776.30 1822.20 9,138 US Pall DEC 723.50 2.50 0.3 714.00 729.10 2,169 Gold 1788.09 -32.01 -1.8 1773.15 1825.99 Silver 39.770 -0.900 -2.2 39.350 40.750 Platinum 1783.58 -25.14 -1.4 1777.25 1817.25 Palladium 721.88 6.38 0.9 715.08 724.75 TOTAL MARKET VOLUME 30-D ATM VOLATILITY
CURRENT 30D AVG 250D AVG CURRENT CHG US Gold 234,771 275,468 189,164 29.7 -0.50 US Silver 46,659 74,705 83,854 41.59 -2.01 US Platinum 10,124 8,772 7,186 23.7 0.10 US Palladium 2,173 5,230 4,473 (Additional reporting by Amanda Cooper in London; Editing by Dale Hudson and David Gregorio)