* Dollar index hits near 2-week low, risk demand picks up
* Euro boosted after strong Goldman, Intel earnings
* FX seen taking cue from share before more US bank earnings
(Adds comment, details, updates prices, changes byline; pvs TOKYO)
By Naomi Tajitsu
LONDON, July 15 (Reuters) - The dollar fell on Wednesday, hitting its weakest against a basket of currencies in nearly two weeks as currencies seen as higher risk benefited from upbeat earnings from Goldman Sachs and Intel the previous day.
The yen also struggled while the euro gained, boosted by a 1 percent gain in European shares early in the day.
Analysts said traders' appetite for risk was rising on speculation other U.S. firms may post solid second-quarter performance after reports from the two U.S. powerhouse firms exceeded forecasts.
"Expectations are rising for positive earnings reports from JPMorgan and other banks, and that's positive for risk," said Antje Praefcke, currency strategist at Commerzbank in Frankfurt.
Earnings results would drive the market in the near term as traders struggle to set a lasting direction for currencies, she said, with currency markets likely to track movements in share prices.
JPMorgan Chase & Co will announce its results on Thursday, followed by Bank of America Corp and Citigroup Inc on Friday.
By 0749 GMT, the euro traded 0.6 percent higher at $1.4045, near the day's high around $1.4070. This helped to push the dollar index down more than 0.6 percent to 79.559, its lowest since the start of the month.
Against the U.S. dollar, the Australian currency rose a third of a percent to $0.7966.
The euro rose 0.4 percent to 131.27 yen as the yen slipped across the board, giving up more gains seen last week. Sterling edged up against the yen, while the Australia and New Zealand dollars were little changed.
The yen displayed little reaction to the Bank of Japan's widely expected move to extend special corporate finance-support measures by three months, although some analysts were surprised that the extension was not longer.
Analysts awaited figures on UK employment due at 0830 GMT to see if the jobless situation is continuing to deteriorate, while euro zone inflation figures are expected to show price pressures in the region are continuing to fall. Focus was also on Chinese foreign reserves, which ballooned to a higher-than-expected $2.13 trillion by the end of June.
Some analysts said China's massive reserves pile -- by far the biggest in the world -- may raise pressure on China to allow the yuan to appreciate against the dollar. (Editing by Mike Peacock)