Shares across Asia and Europe have climbed ahead of the European Central Bank's anticipated action later today to fight the worsening eurozone debt crisis.
In midday trading London's FTSE 100 climbed 0.64%, the Dax was up 1.32% and the Cac was boosted 1.06%.
Spain's Ibex spiked 1.73% before easing to 1.53% up, while Italy's Mib was boosted by 1.42%.
In Asia, the Nikkei closed 0.75% up while the Hang Seng ended at 0.34% up.
The ECB's governing council is holding its monthly meeting in Frankfurt and the onus is on president Mario Draghi to back up his promise "to do whatever it takes" to preserve the euro.
Any new ECB action is expected to be announced at a 1.30pm (BST) media conference.
Financial markets have expected Mr Draghi to unveil plans to buy sovereign debt issued by indebted eurozone nations.
Investors have been looking for clues on the likely size and timing of the bond programme, on any specific cap on yields – seen as unlikely – and on whether the ECB will insist on a preferential, more senior status to the bond issue.
"The hope is out there," Gerhard Schwarz, head of equity strategy at Baader Bank, said.
"It seems that... there will be some details provided but so far I think that the ECB will leave its door wide open by refraining to mention specific caps at which it will act.
"But still we need a formal aid request from countries like Spain or Italy before the ECB will get busy."
Equities edged higher as investors remained reluctant to sell in case the ECB meeting yields a sufficiently strong stimulus signal to revive risk appetite.
Under Mr Draghi's leadership the ECB has brought the central bank's benchmark borrowing costs down to an all-time low of 0.75%.
But economists are divided as to whether a further rate cut would be announced today.
