Mining giants Antofagasta PLC (LSE:ANTO) and Anglo American PLC (LSE:AAL) provided some of the leading gains on the FTSE 100 on Monday morning, as copper and iron ore prices rose.
Market analysts pointed to moves in China as a likely reason for the stronger sentiment in the sector.
Miner and commodities trading colossus Glencore PLC (LSE:GLEN) was the early leader, gaining 3.4%.
Shares in Chilean copper miner Antofagasta rose 3.1%, while Anglo, which also has a stronger focus on copper due to its strategic restructuring, was up 3.3%.
Rio Tinto Ltd (LSE:RIO, ASX:RIO, OTC:RTNTF), another diversified miner with heavy interest in copper, rose 2.8%.
Impressive share gains for the sector were hailed by market analyst Victoria Scholar at Interactive Investor, who said: "This is after China started work on the world’s largest dam in Tibet, pushing iron ore and steel prices to four-month highs."