* Gold steadies after 2 pct rise but dollar, stocks weigh * Platinum hits 3-week low on demand fears * Nikkei down more than 3 percent (Updates prices) By Lewa Pardomuan SINGAPORE, Nov 21 (Reuters) - Gold barely moved on Friday, having risen more than 2 percent in the previous session, as the euro weakened against the U.S. dollar and equities markets extended losses on worries about a global recession. But the yellow metal could find support from jewellers as the wedding season progresses in main consumer India. Platinum hit a 3-week low on fears of falling demand for autocatalysts, which account for more than 60 percent of global use. Gold was trading at $745.50 an ounce, up $0.40 from its notional close in New York on Thursday, when it hit an intraday high of $751.60 as physical buying helped it defy selling in equities. Gold was 28 percent below a lifetime high of $1,030.80 struck in March, which it has been unable to revisit after selling choked off recent rallies. It hit a two-month high of $931 in October but losses in equities forced investors to cash in to cover losses. "Given the relative strength of the dollar, it's tending to put a cap on gold extending its gains," said Darren Heathcote of Investec Australia in Sydney, adding that bullion would trade in its current range of $725 to $750. The euro edged down to $1.2443 after falling in New York as investors sold risky assets, such as stocks and commodities financed by loans denominated in the U.S. dollar. [USD/] "I don't really have anything much on gold because it's still on a sideward consolidation with no clear short-term trend. However if we do move above the $750-$760 regions, then this may change," said a dealer in Singapore. "That, however, will go against the negative correlation gold has with the dollar as the dollar continues to move higher also." Japan's Nikkei benchmark dropped more than 3 percent to a three-week low on a stronger yen and an overnight plunge in U.S. stocks, which dealers said could still spur selling in gold. [.T] "New York stock markets fell sharply and that put pressure on gold," said Kazuhito Saito of Interest Capital Management. Platinum was also under pressure after Japanese automakers Toyota Motor Corp (7203.T: Quote, Profile, Research, Stock Buzz) and Nissan Motor Co (7201.T: Quote, Profile, Research, Stock Buzz) said they would cut production due to falling demand, Saito said, adding that platinum futures in Tokyo <0#JPL:> would also extend losses. Platinum was trading at $763.00 an ounce, up $0.50 from New York's notional close. It dropped to a 3-week low of $759.00 in early trade on Friday on recession worries. Democratic congressional leaders, seeking to salvage a bailout of the Big Three automakers, demanded executives provide a business survival plan in exchange for their support of up to $25 billion in loans. [ID:nN20421931] New York gold futures GCZ8 fell $4.2 an ounce to $744.5. Precious metals prices at 0143 GMT Metal Last Change Pct chg YTD pct chg Turnover Spot Gold 745.50 0.40 +0.05 -10.47 Spot Silver 8.93 -0.02 -0.22 -39.54 Spot Platinum 763.00 0.50 +0.07 -49.80 Spot Palladium 175.00 2.00 +1.16 -52.45 TOCOM Platinum 2329.00 -118.00 -4.82 -56.38 8328 TOCOM Silver 270.00 -13.40 -4.73 -50.09 335 TOCOM Palladium 541.00 -59.00 -9.83 -59.96 458 Euro/Dollar 1.2450 Dollar/Yen 94.21 TOCOM prices in yen per gram, except TOCOM silver which is priced in yen per 10 grams. Spot prices in $ per ounce. (Editing by Clarence Fernandez)

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