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It was up 0.4 per cent - or 16.3 points - to 4,738.50 at 09:06 BST in London, according to Reuters.
Mining firms rose as metal prices remained in positive territory and there were also increases for a number of oil companies, with Royal Dutch Shell, Tullow Oil, Cairn Energy and BP jumping by up to 1.5 per cent.
Shares in Friends Provident added 1.5 per cent on the back of news that it has accepted a takeover bid from Resolution worth £1.86 billion.
The market was boosted by the Nikkei 225 in Asia, which closed on a ten-month high, however there were falls in some sectors as TUI Travel and InterContinental Hotels both slipped.
Performance among finance firms was mixed, as Barclays, Lloyds Banking Group and Royal Bank of Scotland all fell but there were gains for HSBC and Standard Chartered.
Oil stocks rose on the back of an increase in the value of the commodity, which climbed back above $71 (£43) per barrel this morning.
