* Dollar index hits 15-mth low, stung by U.S. rate view

* Sterling slides after BoE comments on pound weakness

* Australian dollar hits 15-mth high vs U.S. dollar (Recasts, updates prices, adds detail, changes dateline, previous LONDON)

NEW YORK, Nov 11 (Reuters) - The dollar fell to a new 15-month low against major currencies on Wednesday, hurt by downbeat official views on the U.S. economy and bullish economic data from China that bolstered risk appetite.

Federal Reserve officials said Tuesday any recovery in the U.S. economy would be erratic, bolstering the view that interest rates would stay low and undermine the dollar with no new U.S. data to drive trading. For details, see [ID:nN10315173]

Sterling fell broadly, stung after Bank of England Governor Mervyn King said weakness in the currency would help UK exporters and aid Britain's recovery from recession.

Despite gains versus the pound, the dollar index .DXY hit 74.774, its lowest since August 2008, also hurt by strong Chinese economic data that spurred investor appetite for risk -- generally a negative trend for the dollar. [ID:nPEK212006]

"China data came in quite good, which elevates risk interest," said John McCarthy, director of foreign exchange at ING Capital Markets in New York. U.S. "yields are abysmally low and nothing suggests they will be raised soon."

In early New York trade, the dollar index traded 0.2 percent lower on the day at 74.876.