There were gains in London’s equities markets on Tuesday.

The FTSE 100 added 1.63 to 6,283.3 and the FTSE 250 gained 0.54 percent to 10,802.8.

The 100 was helped out by Alliance & Leicester (LSE: AL) when the bank gained even more on the session than it lost Monday.

A&L was up 32.17 percent to 793p, by far the best performance on the blue chip index.

Other banks also gained although the sector was mixed.

Northern Rock (LSE: NRK) was up 8.22 percent to 306p after two consecutive sessions of over 30 percent declines each day.

Barclays Bank (LSE: BARC; NYSE: BCS; TYO: 8642) was 4.48 percent higher to 607p.

On the other hand, Lloyds TSB (LSE: LLOY) dropped 1.75 percent to 504p.

Also seeing a gain on the 100 was property investment group Liberty International (LSE: LII), which was up 5.06 percent to £11.

House builder Persimmon (LSE: PSN), however, dropped 0.53 percent to 941p, while miner Lonmin led the losers on the 100 as it fell 4.35 percent to €31.46.

Mortgage lenders did well on the 250.

Paragon (LSE: PAG) was 5.86 percent higher to 302.5p, while Bradford & Bingley (LSE: BB) jumped 12.28 percent to 313.25p for the best performance of the day on the 250.

Auto rental group Avis Europe (LSE: AVE) was 2.55 percent higher to 40.25p.

The oil sector didn’t do as well.

Venture Production (LSE: VPC) dropped 1.75 percent to 731.5p, while Tullow Oil (LSE: TLW; OTC: TUWLY) led the losers on the 250 with a decline of 3.95 percent to 511p.

London’ equities markets saw substantial declines again on Monday.

The FTSE 100 was 1.69 percent lower to 6,182.8 and the FTSE 250 dropped 1.91 percent to 10,745.3.

Northern Rock (LSE: NRK) was the biggest decliner on the 100 as it fell 35.45 percent to 282.75p, followed closely by Alliance & Leicester (LSE: AL) with a drop of 31.27 percent to 600p.

Over on the 250, mortgage lender Bradford & Bingley (LSE: BB) was 15.39 percent lower to 279p.

But the worst performer on the 250 was property developer Minerva (LSE: MNR), which was down 16.34 percent to 216.25. House builders fell on the 100.

Persimmon (LSE: PSN) dropped 6.89 percent to 946p, while Barratt Developments was 7.29 percent lower to 769p.

Pubs operator Enterprise Inns dropped 7.37 percent to 578p. Back on the 250, surgical supplies company Gyrus Group (LSE: GYG) was 8.08 percent lower to 398p.

The best performer of the session on the 250 was drug maker Hikma Pharmaceuticals (LSE: HIK) with a gain of 4.68 percent to 425p.

Northern Foods (LSE: NFDS) added 4 percent to 97.5p, while rail and bus transport firm Go-Ahead Group (LSE: GOG) was up 1.66 percent to £25.18.

Software maker Sage Group (LSE: SGE) had the best day on the 100, where it gained 2.77 percent to 250p.

Medical devices manufacturer Smith & Nephew (LSE: SN) added 0.7 percent to 572p, while in the telecommunications sector BT Group (LSE: BT.A; NYSE: BT) was 0.16 percent higher to 316.75p.

London’s equities markets saw declines on Friday.

The FTSE 100 1.17 percent lower to 6,289.3 and the FTSE 250 falling 1.95 percent to 10,954.

Northern Rock (LSE: NRK) had the worst performance by far on the 100, falling 31.46 percent to 438p after it had to ask the Bank of England for help after it could not find a place to borrow money from traditional sources and customers lined up outside branches of the bank to withdraw their money from accounts.

The trouble extended to other banks, with Alliance & Leicester (LSE: AL) dropping 6.88 percent to 873p.

Mortgage lenders were also hurt.

Paragon (LSE: PAG) was down 16.76 percent to 298p for the worst day on the 250.

It was followed by fellow mortgage lender Bradford & Bingley (LSE: BB), which was 7.7 percent lower to 329.75.

Homebuilders were also lower on the day.

Barratt Developments (LSE: BDEV) dropped 4.71 percent to 829p and Persimmon (LSE: PSN) was down 6.62 percent to £10.16 on the 250, while Bellway (LSE: BWY) fell 7.54 percent to £10.67 on the 100.

Oil-related shares saw gains on the 250.

Burren Energy (LSE: BUR) was up 1.79 percent to 853p, while Dana Petroleum (LSE: DNX) added 1.94 percent to £10 and JKX Oil & Gas (LSE: JKX) was 2.25 percent higher to 397.75p.

Gold miner Hochschild (LSE: HOC) had the best day on the 250 as it gained 3.83 percent to 345.25p.

Chemicals group Reckitt Benckiser (LSE: RB) was the best performer on the 100, adding 1.49 percent to £27.99.

Publisher Reed Elsevier (LSE: REL; Euronext: REN; NYSE: ENL; NYSE: RUK) was 1.08 percent higher to 608p, and DIY retailer Kingfisher (LSE: KFG) closed at 196.6p, a gain of 0.2 percent.

London’s equities markets were mixed Thursday.

While the FTSE 100 added 0.91 percent to 6,363.9, the FTSE 250 was down 0.42 percent to 11,172.4.

The biggest gainers on the session on the 100 were in the mining and telecommunications sectors.

Among miners BHP Billiton (LSE: BLT; NYSE: BHP; ASX: BHP) was 2.61 percent higher to £14.94 and Anglo American (LSE: AAL) gained 3.27 percent to €29.08, while Lonmin (LSE: LMI) added 3.66 percent to £34.26.

The mining gains came on higher base metals prices.

In the telecommunications sector, BT Group (LSE: BT.A; NYSE: BT) was up 2.9 percent to 319p, while Cable and Wireless (LSE: CW) was the best performer on the 100 with a gain of 4.5 percent to 174.3p.

The biggest winner on the 250 was in the financial services sector, where Ashmore (LSE: ASHM) added 6.48 percent to 263p.

Elsewhere in the sector, Bluebay (LSE: BBAY) was 2.98 percent higher to 380p.

Also gaining on the 250 were construction engineers Keller Group (LSE: KLR), up 3.92 percent to £10.88.

In the oil sector oil, gas and coal services group Petrofac (LSE: PFC) added 3.47 percent to 462p.

The worst performance on the 100 came from the banking sector, where Northern Rock (LSE: NRK) dropped 4.91 percent to 639p.

Still among banks, Alliance & Leicester (LSE: AL) was down 2.7 percent to 937.5p.

Property developer British Land (LSE: BLND) fell 1.88 percent to £12, while in the pharmaceuticals sector Shire was 2.5 percent lower to £12.46.

Sports retailer JJB Sports (LSE: JJB) dropped 4.37 percent to 164p, while human resources group STHREE (LSE: STHR) fell 5.34 percent to 323.5p.

London’s markets saw declines Wednesday.

The FTSE 100 dropped 1.66 percent to 6,270.7 and the FTSE 250 was down 1.83 percent to 11,300.7.

The mining sector provided the best performer on the 100 as Vedanta Resources (LSE: VED) added 3.07 percent to £18.47.

Of the two other gainers on the 100 during the day another miner, Lonmin (LSE: LMI) was up 0.37 percent to £32.27.

The only other winner on the 100 was in the pharmaceuticals sector, with Shire (LSE: SHP; NAS: SHPGY) up 0.62 percent to £13.03.

The best performance on 250 came from personal loan provider International Personal Finance (LSE: IPF), which added 5.66 percent to 224p.

Construction and civil engineering group Interserve (LSE: IRV) was up 3.8 percent to 492p, while internet gambler PartyGaming (LSE: PRTY) was 2.73 percent higher to 28.25p.

Banks were lower after Lehman Brothers (NYSE: LEH) made negative comments about the mortgage sector.

Northern Rock (LSE: NRK) had the worst day on the 100 as it dropped 5.33 percent to 693p, while Alliance & Leicester (LSE: AL) fell 4.44 percent to £10.11.

Among insurers, Royal Sun & Alliance (LSE: RSA) was down 3.85 percent to 139.9p.

Food processor Tate & Lyle (LSE: TATE) was down 4.54 percent to 536.5p, and pubs operator Punch Taverns (LSE: PUB) was down 3.79 percent to £10.66.

Avis Europe (LSE: AVE) was 7 percent lower on the 250 to 46.5p, while waste management firm Shanks Group (LSE: SKS) fell 6.06 percent to 232.5p.

London’s markets were lower on the session Tuesday.

The FTSE 100 fell 1.9 percent to 6,102.2 while the FTSE 250 dropped 1.6 percent to 10,793.8.

Banks were down there as well, on reports of substantial exposure to the troubled US subprime market.

Even though the banks issued denials, Alliance & Leicester (LSE: AL) fell 3.91 percent to £10.08, while Barclays Bank (LSE: BARC; NYSE: BCS; TYO: 8642) dropped 3.6 percent to 589p and HSBC Holdings (LSE: HSBA; NYSE: HBC; Euronext: HSBC; SEHK: 005) was 1.9 percent lower to 881p.

The biggest decliner on the 100, however, was miner Lonmin (LSE: LMI) at a drop of 6.02 percent to £29.81.

Over on the 250, Aquarius Platinum (LSE: AQP; ASX: AQP; JSE: AQP) fell 5.26 percent to £13.87.

Online gambler PartyGaming (LSE: PRTY) was the worst performer on the 250; it was 7.14 percent lower to 22.75p.

The biggest gainer on the 100 was electricity generator Drax Group (LSE: DRX), which added 1.65 percent to 645p.

Pubs operators were higher.

Punch Taverns (LSE: PUB) gained 0.1 percent to £10.49, while Enterprise Inns (LSE: ETI) advanced 0.9 percent to 613.5p.

British Airways (LSE: BAY; NYSE: BAB) was up 0.86 percent to 412.75p.

Builder John Wood Group had the best day on the 250, adding 4.68 percent to 352.5p.

Asset managers Henderson Group (LSE: HGI; ASX: HGI) was 4.07 percent higher to 140.75p after Citigroup (NYSE: C) raised its recommendation from “hold“ to “buy“.

Construction engineers Keller Group (LSE: KLR) gained 2.8 percent to £10.29.

London’s markets were higher Thursday, although the FTSE 100 only managed a gain of 0.01 percent to 6,196.9.

The FTSE 250, meanwhile, added 0.32 percent to 10,945.7.

Property developers and house builders had a bad day on the 100.

House builder Persimmon dropped 2.30 percent to £12.23 after ABN Amro (Euronext: AAB; NYSE: ABN) reduced its target share price from £17.20 to £15.30.

Among developers, British Land (LSE: BLND) fell 2.18 percent to £12.58 while SEGRO (LSE: SGRO) was 2.4 percent lower to 529p.

Hammerson (LSE: HMSO) was the worst performer on the 100, dropping 2.45 percent to £12.75.

However, in a related sector WSP Group (LSE: WSH), which specializes in construction management, engineering, and consulting, added 3.13 percent to 676.5p.

Brewer SABMiller (LSE: SAB) was 2.78 percent higher to £12.94.

Investment manager Schroders (LSE: SDR.L) had the best day on the 100 with a gain of 4.22 percent to £13.34, while its non-voting shares (LSE: SDRt.L) added 3.32 percent to £11.53.

Among banks, Northern Rock (LSE: NRK) was up 3.98 percent to 757p.

Other banks seeing gains included Alliance & Leicester (LSE: AL), which added 0.19 percent to £10.61. Lloyds TSB (LSE: LLOY) gained 0.27 percent to 553.5p, while HBOS (LSE: HBOS) was 2.05 percent higher to 898p.

The markets in London also saw declines as the FTSE 100 fell 1.92 percent to 6,271.2 and the FTSE 250 was 2 percent lower to 11,225.5.

Shares in the financial services sector did not do very well for the most part on the 100.

Venture capital and private equity group 3i Group (LSE: III) was 5.8 percent lower to £10.56, while insurer Standard Life (LSE: SLET) fell 6.52 percent to 318.75p and hedge fund Man Group (LSE: EMG) was down 6.73 percent to 527p.

Not all in the financial services sector saw declines however.

Alliance & Leicester (LSE: AL) added 1.17 percent to £11.20 and insurer Benfield Group (LSE: BFD) gained 4.95 percent to 339p.

Insurance broker and risk management advisor Jardine Lloyd Thompson Group (LSE: JLT) had the best day on the 100 as it added 4.95 percent to 425p.

The best performer on the 250 was BSkyB (LSE: BSY), which gained 2.58 percent to 694.4p.

Other gainers included power transmitter National Grid (LSE: NG), which was 2.09 percent higher to 731.5p.

Chemicals group Reckitt Benckiser (LSE: RB) was up 1.5 percent to £27.74.

Defense contractor BAE Systems (LSE: BA; OTCBB: BAESY) added 0.9 percent to 440.25p after it said that first half profits were up a better-than-anticipated 27 percent on upgrades to its Bradley fighting vehicles for use by the US in Iraq and on the production of jet parts.

The biggest loser on the day on the 100 was miner Kazakhmys (LSE: KAZ), which was down 6.79 percent to £11.25.

In the pharmaceuticals sector, AstraZeneca (LSE: AZN; NYSE: AZN) dropped 3.5 percent to £24.30 on a safety review of its acid reflux drugs Nexium and Prilosec after two studies linked them to heart problems.

However, the Food and Drug Administration said that it had concluded on a preliminary basis that there is no increased risk to patients taking the drugs.

In London on Wednesday the FTSE 100 added 1.35 percent to 6,393.9, while the FTSE 250 gained 1.96 percent to 11,455.

Electricity generators didn’t do very well on the session.

Drax Group (LSE: DRX) was down 1.89 percent to 649p, while British Energy Group (LSE: BGY) dropped 2.22 percent to 474.5p.

But engineering groups had the worst day on both the 100 and the 250.

On the 100 Smith’s Group (LSE: SMIN) fell 2.8 percent to £10.08 after it issued a flat profits outlook, blaming the US dollar on since it receives at least half of its revenues from the United States.

Meanwhile on the 250, construction engineers Keller Group (LSE: KLR) dropped 7.23 percent to 904p.

Property investment group Liberty International (LSE: LII) had the best day on the 100, adding 6.5 percent to £11.30, while SEGRO (LSE: SGRO) gained 5.9 percent to 565p.

On the 250, property investment group Minerva (LSE: MNR) was up 10.69 percent to 308p.

Unite Group (LSE: UTG), which builds, manages, and rents housing for students, was 9.4 percent higher to 419p.

Automobile insurer Admiral Group (LSE: ADM) had its best one-day advance since it began trading as it added 10.26 percent to 940p.

In financial services sectors, Alliance & Leicester (LSE: AL) was 6.03 percent higher to £11.07, while broker ICAP (LSE: IAP) gained 6.04 percent to 500p.

The FTSE 100 dropped 0.28 percent to 6,697.7 in London on Monday, while the FTSE 250 was 0.05 percent lower to 11,917.3.

The mining and oil sectors were lower in London.

Platinum miner Lonmin (LSE: LMI) dropped 6.85 percent to £39.85 for the worst performance of the session on the FTSE 100 after it issued a disappointing trading statement, saying that sales will be lower for the next year.

The announcement prompted a downgrade from Citigroup (NYSE: C).

Xstrata (LSE: XTA) was also lower, falling 1.78 percent to £33.61.

In the oil sector, Royal Dutch Shell’s (LSE: RDSA, RDSB; NYSE: RDS.A, RDS.B) A shares were 1.59 percent lower to £20.40.

BG Group (LSE: BG; NSYE: BG) was also lower, dropping 2.34 percent to 857p.

On the FTSE 250, Premier Oil (LSE: PMO) fell 2.57 percent to £11.75, while Burren Energy (LSE: BUR) was down 2.79 percent to 853.5p.

Back on the 100, SEGRO (LSE: SLOU), the rebrand of property development group Slough Estates, fell 2.04 percent to 599p.

Top gainers on the 100 covered several sectors, with bank Alliance & Leicester (LSE: AL) doing the best as it added 2.49 percent to £11.52.

Publisher Reed Elsevier (LSE: REL; Euronext: REN; NSYE: ENL; NYSE: RUK) was 1.66 percent higher to 675p, while in the pharmaceuticals sector, GlaxoSmithKline gained 1.63 percent to £13.10 on an upgrade from “underweight” to “neutral” from JP Morgan (NYSE: JPM; TYO: 8634).