* Miners among top performers
* Resources stocks underpinned by oil price jump (Adds analysis, quotes, stocks on the move)
By Pauline Askin and Cecile Lefort
SYDNEY/WELLINGTON, Oct 9 (Reuters) - Australian shares rose for a fifth straight session on Friday, in a broad-based rally buoyed by what investors saw as the dovish minutes of the U.S. Federal Reserve's last meeting.
The minutes from the Sept. 16-17 meeting published on Thursday pointed to a deeply cautious Fed - even before news of a sharp slowdown in hiring by U.S. employers.
The S&P/ASX 200 index .AXJO rose 0.9 percent or 49.7 points to 5,260.1 by 0138 GMT. The benchmark rose 0.2 percent to 5,112.1 in the previous session and is on track for its second weekly gain.
Analysts expect the ASX 200 to trade in a range of 4,900-5,300 in the absence of fresh catalysts.
"It the perception that easier Fed policy means a weaker U.S. dollar and that helps emerging markets like China to grow," said Damien Boey, equity strategist, Credit Suisse (SIX:CSGN).
"I'm not sure that we've seen the end of the problems for China yet but none the less, that's what investors seem to be pricing in."
Major banks ANZ ANZ.AX rose 1.22 percent, while NAB NAB.AX was up 0.5 percent. Mining giants Rio Tinto (LONDON:RIO) RIO.AX and BHP Billiton (LONDON:BLT) BHP.AX gained nearly 3 percent and 2 percent respectively.
"The gains have been driven by the resources sectors...they've been the first to bounce in this relief rally," Boey said.
A rise in world oil prices boosted energy stocks. Beach Energy jumped 13.2 percent while Santos STO.AX gained 4.8 percent and Woodside Petroleum WPL.AX was up 1.23 percent.
Asian shares followed Wall Streets lead as well as a climb in oil prices. ID:nL3N1280MY
For more individual stocks activity click on STXBZ
New Zealand's benchmark NZX 50 index .NZ50 rose 0.6 percent or 34.9 points to 5,660.67, to be up 1.1 percent for the week.
Resistance was found at 5,668, a key retracement level tested on Thursday. A sustained break would target the September high of 5,725.89.
Telecommunications and utilities underpinned gains with Spark New Zealand SPK.NZ , Mighty River Power MRP.NZ and Contact Energy CEN.NZ up around 1 percent.
A2 Milk ATM.NZ was the top outperformer with its share price up 4 percent. It climbed to its highest in seven weeks after it announced the completion of a share placement. ID:nWNBS01FQO The stock is up around 30 percent so far this year.
Shares in Fonterra's FCG.NZ fund, which provides investor exposure to the farmer-owned dairy exporter, managed to gain 1.3 percent for the week, having recovered from a trade agreement between 12 Asia-Pacific nations that was less generous to the dairy industry than expected.