There were substantial gains in London on Tuesday, where the FTSE 100 added 2.48 percent to 6,360.1 and the FTSE 250 was 2.26 percent higher to 11,321.9.

Insurer Standard Life (LSE: SLET) had the best day on the 100 as it added 6.38 percent to 308.5p, while Friends Provident (LSE: FP) was right behind with a gain of 5.97 percent to 187p.

Miners were also higher on the 100, with Vedanta Resources (LSE: VED) up 4.17 percent to £17.89 as Anglo American (LSE: AAL) added 5.18 percent to £29.04 as metals prices were on the rise.

Caterer Compass Group (LSE: CPG) was 5.28 percent higher to 334p.

Meanwhile, easyJet (LSE: EZJ) had the best day on the 250, adding 12.91 percent to 511.5p as Goldman Sachs (NYSE: GS) added the discount airline to its “conviction buy” list.

Other big gainers on the 250 included oil equipment manufacturer Rotork (LSE: ROR), which was 12.87 percent higher to £10.35.

Home builder Taylor Wimpey (LSE: TW) was up 9.83 percent to 330.25 on first half profits that were better than had been anticipated.

The biggest loss on the 250 came for retail bakery chain Greggs (LSE: GRG), which dropped 3.41 percent to £49.10.

The worst performer on the 100 was chemicals group Reckitt Benckiser (LSE: RB), down 0.41 percent to €26.52.

The only other decliner on the 100 was property investor Liberty International (LSE: LII), which dropped 0.29 percent to £10.38.

London’s markets were lower on the dayFriday, but not nearly as steeply as they were on Thursday.

The FTSE 100 fell 0.58 percent to 6,215.2, while the FTSE 250 was down 0.44 percent to 10.984.5.

Miners posted the worst performances on both the 100 and the 250 as Anglo American (LSE: AAL) dropped 3.86 percent to £27.43 on the 100 and Aquarius Platinum (LSE: AQP; ASX: AQP) fell 7.37 percent to £13.58.

Also in the sector, Antofagasta (LSE: ANTO) was down 3.43 percent to 675p, while Vedanta Resources (LSE: VED) was 3.68 percent lower to £16.22.

Online property search group Rightmove (LSE: RMV) also saw declines, dropping 6.09 percent to 547.5p, while human resources group STHREE (LSE: STHR) was 5.75 percent lower to 410.5p.

Caterer Compass Group (LSE: CPG) fell 2.81 percent to 311p.

Chemicals group Reckitt Benckiser (LSE: RB) had the best day on the 100 as it gained 3.19 percent to £26.84.

Publisher Emap (LSE: EMA) was the best performer on the 250, where it added 12.7 percent to 860.5p.

Another publishers, Johnston Press (LSE: JPR) was 4.69 percent higher to 385p.

Retailers also had gains on the 250.

GAME Group (LSE: EBQ) added 4.77 percent to 186.75p, while home shopping retailer Findel (LSE: FADV) gained 4.83 percent to 683.5p.

In the banking sector, Northern Rock (LSE: NRK) was up 3.12 percent to 793.5p.

Electric power transmitter National Grid (LSE: NG) and airplane engine maker Rolls-Royce (LSE: RR) each added 2.47 percent, to 704p and 508.5p respectively.

Equities markets in London saw big losses on Tuesday’s session.

The FTSE 100 fell 1.9 percent to 6,498.7, while the FTSE 250 dropped 1.68 percent to 11,584.

Retailers were lower after sporting good retailer Sports Direct (LSE: SPD) dropped 22.63 percent to 147p after it issued its second profits warning since it’s IPO in February, prompting negative broker comment.

Other retailers seeing declines included GAME Group (LSE: EBQ), which fell 6.86 percent to 193.5p.

Home Retail (LSE: HOME) was 3.28 percent lower to 427.25p, while clothing retailer Next (LSE: NXT) was down 2.66 percent to £18.67 and DIY retailer Kingfisher (LSE: KFG) dropped 2.25 percent to 217.5p.

Electric power generators were lower as well.

British Energy (LSE: BGY) had the worst day on the 100 as it fell 4.5 percent to 509p, while Drax Group (LSE: DRX) was 3.84 percent lower to 700.5p.

Miners were also lower, with Anglo American (LSE: AAL) down 3.81 percent to £31.33 and Lonmin (LSE: LMI) dropping 3.88 percent to £35.90.

Insurer Old Mutual was 3.93 percent lower to 168.7p after talk that South African bank Nedbank (JSE: NED), in which Old Mutual owns a majority stake, might be the target of a takeover.

There were gainers on the day.

Spread betting specialist IG Group Holdings (LSE: IGG) added 9.21 percent to 341p for the best performance of the day on the 250, while consumer products group Reckitt Benckiser (LSE: RB) had the best day on the 100 with a gain of 1.14 percent to £27.48 ahead of its quarterly report.

Other gainers included phone book publisher Yell Group (LSE: YELL), which added 0.69 percent to 472.5p on positive fiscal first quarter results.

Imperial Tobacco (LSE: IMT) gained 0.78 percent to £23.13.

In London on Wednesday the FTSE 100 dropped 1.38 percent to 6,567.1, while the FTSE 250 was 0.64 percent lower to 11,726.

The best performance on the day on the 100 came from water utility Kelda Group (LSE: KEL), which gained 2.13 percent to 889p after broker upgrades.

Merrill Lynch (NYSE: MER; TYO: 8675) and Citigroup (NYSE: C) both upped their recommendations on the utility, with Citigroup raising its rating from “sell” to “hold”, while JP Morgan (NYSE: JPM; TYO: 8634) raised its target share price.

Pubs operator Wetherspoon (LSE: JDW) had the best day on the 250, gaining 10.99 percent to 616p after it reported higher sales and said that it is on target to meet its forecasts.

Still in the same sector, pubs operator Mitchells & Butlers (LSE: MAB) added 1.83 percent to 892p.

In a related sector, brewer SABMiller (LSE: SAB) was 1.63 percent higher to £13.10.

The worst performance on the 250 came from sports retailer JJB Sports (LSE: JJB), which dropped 7.52 percent to 233.75p.

In the same sector, clothing retailer Next (LSE: NXT) fell 3.23 percent to £18.88 on the 100.

The biggest loser on the 100 was miner Anglo American (LSE: AAL), down 3.85 percent to £31.

Fellow miner Lonmin (LSE: LMI) was also lower as it fell 3.6 percent to £36.95.

Other commodities-related groups also saw declines on the session.

UK Coal (LSE: UKC) dropped 4.21 percent to 534.5p, while in the oil sector Dana Petroleum (LSE: DNX) fell 5 percent to £11.02.

Equities markets in London saw declines on Tuesday.

The FTSE 100 dropped 1.14 percent to 6,636.4, while the FTSE 250 was 1.08 percent lower to 11,732.1.

Miners were lower after rumors circulated that BHP Billiton (LSE: BLT; ASX: BHP; NYSE: BHP) might be interested in bidding for US aluminium producer Alcoa (NYSE: AA).

BHP Billiton was the worst performer on the 100 on the day, dropping 3.89 percent to £14.83.

Elsewhere in the sector, Xstrata (LSE: XTA) dropped 3.33 percent to £32.48, while Anglo American (LSE: AAL) fell 3.61 percent to £32.04 and Lonmin was 3.64 percent lower to £41.54.

The best performance on the day on the 100 came from property developer Land Securities (LSE: LAND), which added 4.8 percent to £18.35.

Public transport group Arriva (LSE: ARI) had the best day on the 250 as it gained 7.92 percent to 770p after it was revealed that it had been awarded the UK Cross Country rail franchise.

There were also gains in the retail sector.

J Sainsbury (LSE: SBRY) was 1.05 percent higher to 577.5p, while Marks & Spencer (LSE: MKS) was up 1.26 percent to 640.5p on a trading update that was not as bad as had been anticipated.

In the same sector on the 250, WH Smith (LSE: SMWH) added 2.04 percent to 411.75p.

In London on Wednesday, the FTSE 100 was 1.8 percent lower to 6,171.6. The decline came after yesterday’s 2.3 percent decline and negated all the gains the index has made since the beginning of the year. Meanwhile, the FTSE 250 dropped 0.88 percent to 11,082.90. The 100 lost 114.6 points on the day, while the 250 was 98 points lower.

Miners again were among the biggest losers on the day, hurt by indications that Chinese demand for metals will decline. Xstrata (LSE: XTA) dropped 3.4 percent to £23.96, while Anglo American (LSE: AAL) fell 3.6 percent to £24.38.

Banks also had a hard day of it. HBOS (LSE: HBOS) was 4.5 percent lower to £10.81 after it reported an annual profit that was around where analysts had expected it to be but also issued a warning that margins could fall due to less income from default charges that banks were ordered to reduce by the Office of Fair Trade.

Elsewhere in the sector, Standard Chartered (LSE: STAN), which focuses on emerging markets, dropped 1.5 percent to £14.28. Northern Rock (LSE: NRK) was 1.8 percent lower to £11.35, while Royal Bank of Scotland (LSE: RBS; NYSE: RBS PRM) fell 2.8 percent to £20.10 and Barclays (LSE: BARC; NYSE: BCS; TYO: 8642) was down 3.6 percent to 740p.

Equities markets in London were higher on Wednesday, with both the FTSE 250 and the FTSE All-Share hitting all-time highs for the second day in a row. The 250 added 0.2 percent to 11,502, while the All-Share gained 0.2 percent as well, to 3,301.77. The FTSE 100 was also higher, up 0.4 percent to 6,369.5.

Miners saw advances on the day after BHP Billiton added 5.5 percent to £10.40 on the announcement of a new share buyback. The rest of the sector followed Billiton higher, with Anglo American gaining 2.7 percent to £24.71, Lonmin 2.8 percent higher to £31.89, and Vedanta resources adding 3.5 percent to £12.36.

J Sainsbury was 0.7 percent higher to 519½p after rumors circulated that an anonymous investor was interested in acquiring 50 million shares of the supermarket chain.

British Airways gained 4.6 percent to 574p on upgrades from Merrill Lynch, which raised its recommendation on the airline to “buy” and increased its target share price to 700p.

With 86million shares trading hands on the session, Scottish Power was 1.8 percent higher to 770p on consolidation rumors in Europe. The rumors were denied later.

In the pharmaceuticals sector, AstraZeneca dropped 1.1 percent to £29.50.

London equities markets were lower on Monday, led down by the real estate sector. The FTSE 100 dropped 0.4 percent to 6,194.2 and the FTSE 250 was 0.3 percent lower to 11,156.

Despite the general losses, some sectors saw gains. Miners were up after a bad week last week. Anglo American was 1.6 percent higher to £23.68, helped by the possibility that it could sell some of its 42 percent stake in South African gold miner AngloGold. Xstrata added 2.2 percent to £23.14 after dropping 11 percent last week, while Lonmin gained 3.2 percent to £28.90.

In the energy sector, Cairn Energy was 3.3 percent higher to £17.25 on positive comments from Man Securities, which said that Cairn could see advances if the debut of Cairn India on the stock exchange in Mumbai on Tuesday is fairly successful.

Declines in the real estate sector were explained by nervousness among investors ahead of a meeting by the Bank of England, scheduled for Thursday, when the Bank will make its latest decision on interest rates. The sector was also hurt by a sector wide downgrade to “underweight” from HSBC. Liberty International dropped 1.5 percent to £13.45, Slough Estates fell 1.7 percent to 770p, and Hammerson was 2.5 percent lower to £14.97. British Land was down 2.9 percent to £16.04, while Land Securities dropped 3.2 percent to £22.10.

The London equities markets were higher on Tuesday, with the FTSE 100 adding 0.6 percent to 6,086.4 and the FTSE 250 up 0.7 percent to 10,834.1. The oil and mining sectors helped in the gains.

In the telecommunications sector, Carphone Warehouse was 7.6 percent higher to 291¾p after its chief executive told Merrill Lynch Monday night that it has gotten back some contract business from Vodafone.

Premier Foods added 6.9 percent to 301½p as rumors circulated that the private equity owners of United Biscuits would be interested in a takeover attempt. Most analysts did not credit the possibility, however, and put the gains more to the recent bid by Premier for rival RHM, which gained 5.7 percent to 377¾p. If the Premier/RHM deal goes through the company created will be the UK’s leading food producer.

In the oil sector, BP was 1.8 percent higher to 578p when UBS named it one of its top picks for next year. Meanwhile, Royal Dutch Shell added 2 percent to £18.25 after ABN Amro raised its recommendation to “buy”.

Among miners, Anglo American was up 3.2 percent to £24.55 on talk that Larry Yung was interested in further building his stake in the company. Higher copper prices sent both Kazakhmys and Antofagasta higher as well. Kazakhmys added 3.1 percent to £12.17, while Antofagasta gained 4.6 percent to 530p.

In the tobacco sector, Gallaher was 3 percent higher to 986½p on expectations of consolidation within the sector. However, SG Securities reiterated its “sell” recommendation on the tobacco company on the basis that it was an unlikely takeover target.

London’s equities markets were mixed on Thursday as the FTSE 100 dropped 0.6 percent to 6,048.9 but the FTSE 250 added 0.1 percent to 10,673.9.

Miners were mostly up on the session, the exception being Anglo American, which dropped 0.25 percent to £23.62. Rio Tinto added 0.8 percent to £27.15, while Xstrata and BHP Billiton gained 1.1 percent each, to £22.80 and 965p respectively. Analysts at Citigroup issued remarks saying that Billiton should divest itself of its petroleum unit and that Rio Tinto should get rid of its Industrial Minerals division in order to kick-start performance.

The pharmaceuticals sector saw declines. GlaxoSmithKline dropped 1.4 percent to £13.51, while AstraZeneca fell 1.9 percent to £29.50 and Shire was 2.1 percent lower to £10.19. There has been talk lately that GlaxoSmithKline might be interested in AstraZeneca, but some analysts believe that AstraZeneca is more likely to be a bidder, possibly for Shire, than a target of bids.

Building materials group Hanson added 0.5 percent to 729p on rumors that Mexico’s Cemex could be interested in bidding, especially after its bid for an Australian company was rejected earlier in the week. Meanwhile in the leisure sector, casino operator Rank was 2 percent higher to 278p on rumors that it could be a target for bidders.