* Holdings in SPDR Gold Trust on the rise
* European shares slide to 22-month low
* Platinum hits highest in more than three months (Updates comments and prices)By Sumita LayekBENGALURU, Oct 15 (Reuters) - Gold rose more than 1 percenton Monday to its highest in about 2-1/2 months as investorssought refuge in the metal after mounting tensions betweenWestern powers and Saudi Arabia compounded jitters in globalstock markets.Spot gold was up 1 percent at $1,230.05 per ounce at1406 GMT, having touched its highest since July 26 at $1,233.26.U.S. gold futures rose 1 percent to $1,234.20."Gold has now got a stronger tailwind from a flight tosafety from risky assets," said Quantitative Commodity Researchanalyst Peter Fertig. "Gold's next moves will depend on how longthis sell-off continues."Global stocks were under pressure, with European shareshitting 22-month lows on the back of a raft of factors includinga U.S.-China trade dispute, rising tensions between Saudi Arabiaand western powers, stalled Brexit negotiations and concernsover an economic slowdown in China.The International Monetary Fund said last week that risks tothe global financial system, which have risen over the past sixmonths, could increase sharply if pressures in emerging marketsescalate or global trade relations worsen. On the technical front, gold broke above the 100-day movingaverage at around $1,227. A close above that could provideadditional support, analysts said."There is a test of resistance between $1,230 and $1,235.(If) gold finishes the week above $1,235, it will not only be arebound but a reversal," ActivTrades chief analyst Carlo AlbertoDe Casa saidOther indicators, such as inflows into exchange-traded funds(ETFs), suggest chances of a further rebound in prices, he said.Holdings of the largest gold-backed ETF, SPDR Gold ,rose nearly 2 percent last week. That was its biggest weeklyinflow since January, with the fund having registered declinesof more than 4million ounces since hitting a peak in lateApril. Gold, usually seen as a safe store of value during politicaland economic uncertainty, remains about 10 percent down from itsApril peak, with investors opting for the dollar as theU.S.-China trade war unfolded against a background of higherU.S. interest rates.Speculators meanwhile extended their net short position onComex gold by 29,881 contracts to 103,009 contracts, CFTC datashowed last week, based on the week up to Oct. 9. In other precious metals, platinum rose 0.6 percentto $841.60 per ounce after earlier touching its highest sinceJuly 10 at $850.10.Palladium rose 1 percent to $1,077 and silver gained 1.1 percent to $14.71. (Reporting by Sumita Layek and Nallur Sethuraman, editing byLouise Heavens, David Goodman and Jan Harvey)