Energy rally fuels FTSE's early 1.4 pct gain

* Commodity prices lift miners, energy stocks

* Broad based rally as Q3 gets underway * Marks & Spencer up on trading news

By Simon Falush

LONDON, July 1 (Reuters) - Robust commodity prices boosted energy and mining stocks which led a broad-based rally at the start of the third quarter, lifting Britain's top share index 1.4 percent higher early on Wednesday.

Crude rose nearly 2 percent to above $71 per barrel CLc1 fuelling a rise in heavyweight energy stocks, which added most points to the index.

BP (BP.L), Royal Dutch Shell (RDSa.L), BG Group (BG.L), Tullow Oil (TLW.L) and Cairn Energy (CNE.L) added between 1.3 and 2.3 percent.

By 0755 GMT the FTSE 100 .FTSE was up 60.11 points at 4,309.32, after closing 44.82 points, or 1 percent, lower on Tuesday at 4,249.21.

The index ended up 8.2 percent on the quarter, the best such performance since the final quarter of 2003, and has gained 22.8 percent since touching a six-year low on March 9.

For a FACTBOX on European stock market performance in the first half of 2009 double click on [ID:nLU94057].

The index's level is little moved since the start of May, however, and investors are awaiting more concrete evidence on the prospects for economic recovery before pushing the market substantially higher.

"We've been in a range for the last six weeks and I don't expect huge moves, people are looking at the famous shape of recovery, whether it will be "V" "W" or "L" shaped," said Teun Draaisma, equity strategist at Morgan Stanley.

Like energy stocks, miners also benefited from firmer raw materials, with metal prices stronger across the board.

Rio Tinto (RIO.L), Kazakhmys (KAZ.L), Eurasian Natural Resources (ENRC.L), Anglo American (AAL.L), Lonmin (LMI.L) and BHP Billiton (BLT.L) added between 2.1 and 4 percent.

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