** Australian miners .AXMM rise nearly 1% to their highest level since early October 2024

** Subindex is set for 8th straight session of gains, its biggest since since mid-April 2018

** Benchmark ASX200 index .AXJO is down 0.5%

** Iron ore futures gained on reports of steel production limits in China, while Shanghai copper prices advanced as U.S. inflation data supported expectations of a Fed rate cutIRONORE/ MET/L

** Miners Iluka Resources ILU.AX and Evolution Mining EVN.AX lead subindex gains, rising 4.3% and 3.7%, respectively

** YTD, AXMM is up 12.6% outperforming AXJO's gains of 8.4%

(Reporting by Kumar Tanishk in Bengaluru)

((Tanishk.Kumar@thomsonreuters.com; X: @thatstanishk;))