Britain's top share index rose 0.6 percent early on Friday, its fifth consecutive session of gains, as commodities led a broad-based rally as fears over indebted Greece eased.
By 0914 GMT, the FTSE 100 was up 29.83 points at 5,191.31, taking its cue from Wall Street and Asia, which both posted strong gains overnight as investors cheered the European Union's pledge to aid Greece.
In a boost to sentiment, ECB President Jean-Claude Trichet said the European Central Bank and the European Commission will join forces to monitor Greece and to draw up "necessary additional measures" to maintain stability in the euro zone.
"Whilst doubts still remain over the absolute detail of the Greece rescue, the markets are more sanguine now that there will be some sort of recovery package put in place," said Richard Hunter, head of equities at Hargreaves Lansdown.
Miners, which have been at the forefront of the market's recent rally, were again the biggest risers.
Fresnillo, Xstrata, Vedanta Resources, BHP Billiton, Anglo American and Antofagasta gained 0.9 to 2.9 percent.
Rio Tinto, which beat analysts' forecasts for second-half profits on Thursday, added 2 percent
Australia has urged China to deal transparently with the trials of four Rio Tinto staff accused of bribery and stealing commercial secrets, as the firm's CEO said the Asian country remained a key part of its long-term plans.
Oils were also higher with BP, BG Group and Royal Dutch Shell adding 0.2 to 1.2 percent.
ICAP gained 1.7 percent, extending the week's recovery to over 10 percent following last Friday's near 20 percent plunge after a profit warning.
Defensive issues were also on the front foot. Drugmakers GlaxoSmithKline and AstraZeneca rose 0.1 and 1.5 percent respectively, while British American Tobacco climbed 0.5 percent and National Grid was up 1.5 percent.
FINANCIALS MIXED
Bank shares were mixed as underlying sentiment remained cautious about the detail of the EU Greek rescue plan and ahead of the sector's upcoming reporting season.
Barclays, which kicks things off with full-year results on Tuesday, fell 0.3 percent.
"Clearly there will be some concern on the impairment side to see how the recession is playing through," added Hunter.
HSBC and Lloyds Banking Group were each down 0.2 percent. But Standard Chartered and Royal Bank of Scotland gained 0.5 and 0.6 percent, respectively
BT Group fell 1 percent, extending Thursday's losses as a number of brokers cut their target prices for the company, following Thursday's announcement that a looming and potentially lengthy row over pensions overshadowed solid third-quarter results.
With no important UK economic data scheduled for release on Friday, the main macro interest was directed across the Atlantic.
Economists expect U.S. retail sales for January, due at 1330 GMT, to show a 0.3 percent rise after a 0.3 percent fall in December. The median forecast for sales excluding autos is for an increase of 0.5 percent in January after a 0.2 percent drop the previous month.
After that Reuters/University of Michigan Surveys of Consumers releases its preliminary February consumer sentiment index at 1455 GMT, which is expected to show a reading of 75.0 compared with 74.4 in the final January report.
The FTSE 100 index is currently on course for a 2.6 percent advance on the week, recouping the previous week's 2.5 percent decline.
