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At 11:42 BST the FTSE 100 was up 39.27 points or 0.7 per cent, Reuters reports.
This broke the "psychologically important" 5,400 level, which the UK stock market has not closed at since May 31st this year.
Miners added impetus to the overall share appreciation, as Rio Tinto, Xstrata and Kazakhmys all added between 2.3 and 2.7 per cent to their value.
Banks may also have improved stock market trader confidence as blue chip financials put on a good showing.
Royal Bank of Scotland's good medium-term forecast helped it gain 2.3 per cent, while peer Lloyds Banking Group added a further 0.8 per cent after it posted strong financial figures on Wednesday.
Barclays also rose 1.5 per cent, despite losses during the morning session.
Yesterday's announcement by the Bank of England's Monetary Policy Committee it is to maintain the base rate at 0.5 per cent may have helped investor risk appetite by reassuring speculators of continue efforts to control inflation.
Posted by Greg Secker
