BUZZ-Kaz Minerals: extends gains after Peel Hunt upgrades

** Kaz Minerals (LSE: KAZ.L - news) up 2.5 pct, trading around 4-mth highs, as Peel Hunt upgrades to "Add" from "Hold" and raises TP to 200p from 160p - a day after it announced H1 profit rise

** Peel Hunt says Kaz has done a better job of cutting cost than it had expected

** The Kazakhstan copper firm said Thursday it can carry on making profits even if commodity markets stay weak; also says it stepped up low-cost output and reported higher H1 core profit

** Chilean miner Antofagasta (Other OTC: ANFGF - news) cheered investors with a slim rise in mid-year profit this month, achieved mostly through cost cuts aimed at weathering a weak copper market it does not expect to rebound before 2018

** Benchmark copper prices are struggling to sustain gains this year as economic data has raised new doubts about the strength of demand from China, which accounts for nearly half of global consumption (Reuters Messaging: noor.hussain.thomsonreuters.com@reuters.net)