Fortescue Ltd (FSUMF)

[MikeSailMikeSail]

Australian shares ended on a firm note, as weaker data on the Chinese economy fueled the prospects for further monetary easing steps by Beijing to address its economic troubles. Both the benchmark S&P/ASX 200 and the broader All Ordinaries index ended up around a percent each.

Miners led the rally, with Rio Tinto climbing 2.3 percent, as commodity prices rose overnight despite a mixed batch of economic data. BHP Billiton gained 1.7 percent and smaller rival Fortescue jumped 4.2 percent. Lynas soared 7.8 percent after the High Court of Malaysia said it will not review a government decision that allows the company to operate a rare earths processing plant in the country.