FTSE 100 reaches record high

Comments by Janet Yellen helped to lift global markets

(SHAUN CURRY | AFP | Getty Images)

The FTSE 100 Index has today surpassed an all-time high - beating the previous record made at the end of the Nineties.

London's blue-chip index hit a new record peak of 6,954.79, surpassing its previous life-time high of 6,950.60, set in December 1999. The index was up 0.6 per cent at 6,953.60 points by 1606 GMT.

The FTSE 100 index has gained about 13 per cent since a December low and is up nearly 6 per cent this year.

But she added that the Fed will not be rushed into raising interest rates as unemployment is still too high and wage growth remains sluggish.

Mining stocks were the driving force behind London's record-breaking session, with mining giant BHP Billiton up 7 per cent after better-than-expected results.

The breakthrough also came after eurozone finance ministers today agreed to a list of reform measures proposed by Greece in order to get a four-month extension to its bailout - subject to approval by member state parliaments.

Additional reporting by agencies