Thanks afternoon crew. End-of-day summary: Record highs in...

Thanks afternoon crew.

End-of-day summary:

Record highs in copper and gold helped lift Australian shares as a commodities boom gathered pace this afternoon.

The ASX 200 rallied 49 points or 0.63%. Gold and copper miners were among the day's best as both metals broke new ground at the start of the week. Nickel, uranium and coal miners also fared well.

The day's best performers included uranium miner Paladin +7.57%, Bellevue Gold +7.45% and Gold Road Resources +6.03%. Casino operator Star Entertainment soared 20% on takeover interest.

The market took in its stride news that Iran's president and foreign minister both died in a helicopter crash. S&P 500 futures firmed 0.15% in Sunday night trade in the US. Oil edged up 0.21%.

Today's strength followed four weeks of gains for the S&P 500 and Nasdaq Composite in the US and five weeks for the Dow. On Friday, the S&P 500 gained 0.12%.