* FTSE 100 up 0.9 percent
* Miners rally, Kazakhmys leads after results
* U.S. weekly jobless claims due at 1230 GMT.
By Tricia Wright
LONDON, Aug 26 (Reuters) - Strong mining stocks, buoyed by Kazakhmys's first-half results, helped drive Britain's top share index higher early on Thursday after it fell in the previous session.
By 0820 GMT, the FTSE 100 was up 45.28 points, or 0.9 percent, at 5,154.68, after it fell to a seven-week closing low on Wednesday -- down 46.55 points, or 0.9 percent, at 5,109.40.
Kazakhmys grabbed the top spot on the blue-chip leader board, adding 3.3 percent, after the Kazakh copper miner posted an expected 130 percent rise in underlying first- half earnings per share on higher prices.
Evolution Securities hiked its target price for the firm to 1,295 pence from 1,185 pence, while keeping its "add" rating.
Sector peers, which were dented on Wednesday along with metals prices after gloomy U.S. economic data, enjoyed a rally.
Xstrata was the second highest blue-chip riser, up 2.5 percent. Its major shareholder Glencore International, the Swiss mining and commodities trading giant, posted strong first-half results boosted by strong metal prices..
It was a similar story with energy stocks and banks, which recovered after falls in the previous session.
U.S. stocks staged a comeback on Wednesday, breaking a four-day losing streak by major indexes, as key technical support triggered bargain-hunting that offset weak economic data.
Data showed new single-family home sales slumped to a record slow pace in July and orders for manufactured durable goods rose far less than anticipated..
"The bears are looking a bit nervously at the fact that the U.S. housing figures were so bad but the market still reacted strongly into the close," Mic Mills, head of electronic trading at ETX Capital, said.
"It should also be noted that volumes are still light."
DIAGEO DISPIRITED
Investors had a wedge of earnings reports to wade through on Thursday.
Diageo was down 0.4 percent, after the world's biggest spirits reported full-year results, with Credit Suisse cutting its 2011 earnings per share forecast for the company along with its price target.
Segro topped the FTSE 100 fallers' list, shedding 2.9 percent, after the industrial property landlord reported first-half results, with Evolution Securities cutting its rating on the stock to "neutral" from "add", saying there is "no catalyst for equity outperformance".
On the upside oil services and engineering group Amec added 2.1 percent after posting a 20 percent rise in profit as its order book strengthened and it said it saw customer spending returning in most of its key markets.
G4S rose 0.9 percent after the security services group reported a rise in first-half profit thanks to strong performance at its Asia and Middle East businesses, and said it expected to deliver more growth in the second half.
Investors are waiting for August's UK CBI distributive trades survey, scheduled for release at 1000 GMT.
On the other side of the Atlantic, U.S. weekly jobless claims are due at 1230 GMT.
(Editing by Erica Billingham)