SYDNEY — Australian shares climbed on Monday, led by a strong rebound in mining stocks after a rally in global commodity prices, as investors returned from the weekend in a more upbeat mood following gains on Wall Street.

The benchmark S&P/ASX 200 index was up 61.1 points, or 0.70%, at 8,777.7 by midday Sydney time, extending Friday's advance.

The index had closed Friday up 0.65% at 8,716.6, ending the week on a positive note. Futures trading had pointed to a stronger start on Monday, with the SPI 200 contract signaling a gain of about 37 points before the open after a strong session in the United States.

Resources stocks did much of the heavy lifting in morning trade. The S&P/ASX 200 Materials Index rose about 1.8% by late morning, with gains spread across copper, lithium, coal and gold producers.

The rebound followed broad-based gains in commodity prices overnight, lifting mining stocks from what had been close to a 10-week low. The materials sector has been roughly flat over the past month and remains about 10% below its record high set on Aug. 25.

Mining heavyweight BHP Group........

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