Rio Tinto RIO.AX and BHP Group BHP.AX up 1.3% and 1.5%, respectively. June 8 (Reuters) - Australian shares drifted in a tight range on Thursday in dull trade, as the losses in gold and tech stocks countered gains in the energy and mining sub-indexes, while investors awaited a key U.S. inflation data. Globally, markets retreated from a 13-month high on Wednesday as attention turned towards next week's pivotal U.S. inflation data and Federal Reserve meeting, where chances of a rate hike continued to ebb.