The FTSE leapt to a six-month high on Thursday thanks to bumper corporate results across Europe and the US and a strong showing from miners.
The FTSE continued to feed off global optimism in early trading on Thursday, extending yesterday's 1.5% gain.
The FTSE climbed 1.1% this morning to 5,724.37 after rumours of more quantitative easing from the Federal Reserve gained momentum last night.
The FTSE advanced almost 1% in late afternoon trading as investors shrugged off concerns relating to Ireland's credit rating downgrade and disappointing US economic data.
The FTSE rose 0.70% this morning after the Dow Jones closed last night 1.80% higher.
Global markets have rallied on the back of Japan's cut in interest rates, with the FTSE and Dow both up over one percentage point.