FTSE 100 rises above 7,000 for the first time

UK index of top 100 companies surpasses 7,000, recording its all-time high since the index was introduced in January 1984

The FTSE 100 has soared through the 7,000 barrier for the first time in its history, with investors buoyed by the prospect of continuing low interest rates and growing hopes that a solution may finally be found to Greece's financial crisis.

Seventeen years after the leading index hit 6,000, it finally added the next 1,000 points after a number of attempts, notably in 1999 at the height of the dotcom boom. Last year there were predictions that the index would reach new peaks, but after coming close a number of times, it always fell at the final hurdle as new risks - ebola, the Ukraine crisis, the eurozone - emerged. But on Friday, it closed 60.19 points higher at a record 7,022.51, a near-1% rise on the day.