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By 09:15 GMT, the index was up 0.7 per cent to 5,391.09 points, with mining and energy businesses among the strongest performers, Reuters reports.
An increase in the price of oil above $80 (£52) helped firms such as NP and Tullow Oil gain, while the Chile earthquake raised worries over the availability of copper, helping mining firms to rise.
Rio Tinto, Xstrata, Lonmin, BHP Billiton, Kazakhmys and Anglo American were all up by as much as four per cent.
Banks were among the biggest fallers, led by HSBC, which dipped 2.4 per cent after revealing a drop in profits.
Barclays bucked the trend, adding 1.4 per cent.
Gold is also higher on the financial markets this morning, Bloomberg reports, meaning it is on target to record its biggest winning streak since the start of January.
Posted by Clive Arneil
