• Australian mining stocks rise as much as 1.8% in early trade, while the broader benchmark trades flat

• Sub-index books largest intraday pct gain since July 1, on track to snap four straight days of losses

• Copper prices hit a more than two-week high after markets shrugged off recent attacks in the Middle East [MET/L]

• BHP and Rio Tinto up 1.7% and 2.7%, respectively

• Including the day's moves, AXMM up 7.4% YTD, outpacing a 0.6% rise in AXJO
(Reporting by Nikita Maria Jino in Bengaluru)