ETF Securities Physical Gold ETC holdings rise 2 pct

LONDON, Jan 6 (Reuters) - ETF Securities said the amount of metal it holds to back its Physical Gold exchange-traded commodity (PHAU.L) rose 2 percent in the week to Jan 2.

The ETC held 1.899 million ounces of bullion on Friday, against 1.856 milion ounces on a week before.

The company said its platinum ETC (PHPT.L) holdings dipped 1 percent in the same period to 170,740 ounces, while the holdings of its silver and palladium-backed ETCs slipped 0.5 percent.

ETCs issue securities backed by physical stocks of a given commodity. Buying of precious metals to back ETCs and similar products has formed a major plank of demand in recent years.

(Reporting by Jan Harvey; Editing by David Evans)