London’s markets were down nearly as much as continental markets.

The FTSE 100 was down 1.93 percent to 6,191.2, while the FTSE 250 fell 1.97 percent to 11,107.7.

Software developer Sage Group (LSE: SGE) led the 100 with a gain of 1.78 percent to 243p, while insurer Domestic & General (LSE: DGG) topped the 250 as it added 10.28 percent to £13.94.

However, the insurance sector ended mixed as Old Mutual (LSE: OML; JSE: OLOML) put in the worst performance of the day on the 100, dropping 5.25 percent to 146.2p.

Other gainers on the day included aerospace group BAE Systems (LSE: BA; OTC; BAESY), which added 1 percent to 452.5p on a report that it has secured a key contract with Saudi Arabia.

Electricity generator British Energy Group (LSE: BGY) at a gain of 0.7 percent to 468.25p.

Gold miner Randgold (LSE: RRS; NAS: GOLD), meanwhile, added 8.08 percent to £14.04 on the 250.

Property developers and investors didn’t do well on the session. Hammerson (LSE: HMSO) was 4.54 percent lower to £12.20, while British Land (LSE: BLND) fell 5.03 percent to £12.26.

British Airways (LSE: BAY; NYSE: BAB) was down 4.96 percent to 397.25p.

Pubs operator Punch Taverns (LSE: PUB) dropped 4.8 percent to £10.32 after it issued a profits warning.

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 markets were mixed Tuesday, with the FTSE 100 up 0.12 percent to 6.086.1 but the FTSE 250 down 0.6 percent to 10,639.3.

The mixed nature of the indices translated to mixed days within individual sectors.

For example, while property developer Barratt Developments (LSE: BDEV) was the worst performer of the day on the 100 with a drop of 3.25 percent to 909p, British Land (BLND) added 1.42 percent to £12.15.

Likewise among electricity generators.

While International Power (LSE: IPR; NYSE: IPR) added 1.55 percent to 409p, Drax Group (LSE: DRX) fell 2.29 percent to 620p.

Miner BHP Billiton (LSE: BLT; NYSE: BHP; ASX: BHP) had the best day on the 100, adding 2.04 percent to £13.01 after it said it had moved two drilling rigs from deep water in the Gulf of Mexico ahead of Hurricane Dean.

Meanwhile on the 250, JKX Oil & Gas was the best performer with a gain of 7.39 percent to 370.5p.

Other gainers on the day included British Airways (LSE: BAY; NYSE: BAB) at 1.52 percent higher to 401.5p.

In the telecommunications sector, BT Group (LSE: BT.A; NYSE: BT) gained 1.46 percent to 312p.

Avis Europe (LSE: AVE) was up 4.42 percent to £47.25.

Among decliners, pubs operator Punch Taverns (LSE: PUB) was 2.35 percent lower to 976.5p, while Intercontinental Hotels (LSE: IHG; NYSE: IHG) fell 2.33 percent to £10.06.

Human resources specialist Michael Page International (LSE: MPI) dropped 4.22 percent to 419.5p.

Markets in London were lower as well, with the FTSE 100 down 1.21 percent to 6,143.5 and the FTSE 250 at 10,998.6, a decline of 1.52 percent.

Food retailer Wm Morrison (LSE: MRW) was 2.8 percent lower to 258.5p after it removed sliced cold meats from two stores in Scotland after an outbreak of E. coli that resulted in one death.

Miners were mixed on the day.

Lonmin (LSE: LMI) led gainers on the 100 as it added 1.7 percent to £31.14, but Rio Tinto (LSE: RIO) fell 1.4 percent to £31.75 and BHP Billiton (LSE: BLT; NYSE: BHP; ASX: BHP) was 3.71 percent lower to £12.98.

The worst performance on the 100 came from publisher Yell Group (LSE: YELL), which was down 3.81 percent to 454.4p.

Beverage can maker Rexam (LSE: REX) dropped 3.54 percent to 504.5p, while chemicals group Johnson Matthey fell 3.73 percent to £16.27.

Two other individuals were reported to be in hospital.

Decliners on the 250 included property developer Daejan Holdings (LSE: DJAN), which was down 5.56 percent to £34.00.

Construction firm Kier Group (LSE: KIE) had the worst day on the 250, with a decline of 6.15 percent to £18.76.

British Airways was 0.5 percent higher on the 100 to 403p.

Human resources specialist Capita Group (LSE: CPI) added 0.75 percent to 739p, while in the telecommunications sector BT Group (LSE: BT.A; NYSE: BT) gained 0.81 percent to 310.5p.

Brewer Scottish & Newcastle (LSE: SCTN) was 1.31 percent higher to 580p on the possibility that it could be acquired by Danish brewer Carlsberg (OMX: CARL A, CARL B), which has been reported to have said it is in the market to purchase another beer maker.

Neither Carlsberg nor Scottish & Newcastle would comment on the reports.

In London on Thursday, the FTSE 100 added 0.8 percent to 6,300.3 and the FTSE 250 was 0.39 percent higher to 11,233.

British Airways (LSE: BAY; NYSE: BAB) led the 100, adding 4.53 percent to 403.75p after ABN Amro (Eurnoext: AAB; NYSE: ABN) raised its recommendation on the airline from “sell” to “hold”.

Consumer goods maker Unilever (LSE: ULVR; Euronext: ENA; NYSE: UN) was 4.26 percent higher to £15.68 on strong second quarter results and an improved sales forecast for the full year.

In the retail sector, Marks & Spencer (LSE: MKS) gained 3.42 percent to 635.5p.

The worst performer on the 100 was pubs operator Mitchells & Butlers (LSE: MAB), which fell 4.68 percent to 713p after it delayed a property deal due to problems in the debt market.

The decline took rival pubs company Whitbread (LSE: WTB) down 3.93 percent to £15.88.

Miners also declined on the day.

Rio Tinto was 3.19 percent lower to £33.35, while Vedanta Resources (LSE: VED) fell 2.56 percent to £16.73 and Lonmin (LSE: LMI) dropped 1.84 percent to £33.14.

On the 250, construction group Alfred McAlpine (LSE: MCA) was the best performer as it gained 5.91 percent to 475p after it announced that the company will be split into two separately listed companies, one dedicated to business services and the other offering infrastructures services and project services.

Electronics group Invensys (LSE: ISYS; OTC: IVNY) was 10.07 percent lower to 341.75p, for the worst performance of the session on the 250.

London’s equities markets were lower Wednesday.

The FTSE 100 dropped 1.72 percent to 6,250.6, while the FTSE 250 fell 1.26 percent to 11,194.9.

Cadbury Schweppes (LSE: CBRY; NYSE: CSG), with a decline of 8.23 percent to 569p, was the worst performer on the 100 after it
said that profitability was down in the first half due to higher dairy prices.

British Airways (LSE: BAY; NYSE: BAB) was down 2.89 percent to 386.25p after it was fined nearly £270 million for price fixing activities in relation to fuel surcharges.

Miners were substantially lower. Lonmin (LSE: LMI) fell 3.65 percent to £33.76, while Xstrata (LSE: XTA) was 3.88 percent lower to £30.74, BHP Billiton (LSE: BLT; NYSE: BHP; ASX: BHP) dropped 4.41 percent to £14.08 and Rio Tinto (LSE: RIO) was down 4.46 percent to £34.45.

There were gains on the day.

In the pharmaceuticals sector, Shire (LSE: SHP; NAS: SHPGY) added 1.56 percent to £12.37, while chemicals group Imperial Chemical Industries (LSE: ICI) gained 0.56 percent to 627.5p on reports that Dow Chemical (NYSE: DOW; TYO: 4850) is interested in making a bid to rival that of Akzo Nobel (Euronext: AKZ; NAS: AKZOY).

Over on the 250, construction group John Wood Group (LSE: WG.) was the best performer, adding 4.61 percent to 340.5p.

Meanwhile, business services provider Jardine Lloyd Thompson Group (LSE: JLT) was the biggest loser of the session as it dropped 11.48 percent to 374p.

The London markets did not decline as much as the continental European markets did on Friday, but they were down as well.

The FTSE 100 fell 0.83 percent to 6,585.2, while the FTSE 250 dropped 0.51 percent to 11,819.4.

Gainers on the day included insurer Friends Provident, which had the best day on the 100 as it added 4.25 percent to 186.4p.

On the 250, consumer goods group SSL International (LSE: SSL) did the best, gaining 3.99 percent to 469.25p.

Other advances on the day included aerospace and defense group BAE Systems (LSE: BA; OTCBB: BAESY), which was up 1.6 percent to 428p.

Imperial Tobacco (LSE: IMT) was 1.11 percent higher to £22.78, while British Energy (LSE: BGY) gained 0.86 percent to 527.5p.

Off of the major indices, software company iSoft (LSE: IOT) added 19 percent to 65.5p after it received a bid from German computer information systems group CompuGroup (FWB: COP).

Miners were mixed on the session, with Antofagasta (LSE: ANTO) up 1.45 percent to 736p but Lonmin (LSE: LMI) was 2.72 percent lower to £36.85.

The biggest loser on the day on the 100 was Cable and Wireless (LSE: CW), which fell 3.6 percent to 182p on shareholder protests over executive pay.

British Airways (LSE: BAY; NYSE: BAB), meanwhile, dropped 2.83 percent to 420p on reports that the current stringent airport security measures could remain in place for the foreseeable future.

Asset management group Bluebay (LSE: BBAY) was the worst performer on the 250 as it dropped 4.91 percent to 430.75p.

Auto insurer Admiral Group (LSE: ADM) was 4.85 percent lower to 819p, while internet gamer PartyGaming (LSE: PRTY) fell 4.58 percent to 31.25p.

London equities markets were up on Thursday, with the FTSE 100 added 1.25 percent to 6,697.7 and the FTSE 250 gained 1.22 percent to 11,809.

Most miners were higher on the session, but the sector managed to provide both the biggest winner and the worst performer on the 100.

Vedanta Resources (LSE: VED) added 6.45 percent to £18.00, while Rio Tinto (LSE: RIO) was 4.58 percent lower to £38.10.

Rio Tinto’s decline came after it put in a bid for Canadian aluminium producer Alcan (TSX: AL; NYSE: AL) and after Standard & Poor‘s announced that it would take a look at Rio Tinto‘s credit rating if the deal was completed.

Elsewhere in the sector, Xstrata (LSE: XTA) was 4.67 percent higher to £34.27 and Antofagasta (LSE: ANTO) added 6.39 percent to 715.5p.

The best performance on the 250 came from oil refiner Hunting (LSE: HTG), which gained 8.01 percent to 842.5p.

Other gainers on the 100 included British Airways (LSE: BAY; NYSE: BAB), which was 5.26 percent higher to 440.5p.

Hedge fund Man Group (LSE: EMG) added 4.05 percent to 616.5. Public transport company Arriva (LSE: ARI) was the worst performer on the 250 as it dropped 4.09 percent to 751p.

Other decliners on the 100 included Whitbread (LSE: WTB); the leisure services group fell 2.47 percent to £18.98.

Property developer Hammerson (LSE: HMSO) was 0.88 percent lower to £13.55.

London’s markets saw declines on Wednesday, with the FTSE 100 down 0.24 percent to 6,615.1 and the FTSE 250 falling 0.56 percent to 11,666.8.

Retailers were mixed on the session, with Wm Morrison (LSE: MRW) up 2.48 percent to 313.75p but Home Retail (LSE: HOME) falling 2.35 percent to 438.75p for the worst day on the 100.

Conversely, the best performer on the 100 was in the leisure sector, where Whitbread (LSE: WTB) added 7.04 percent to £19.46 on rumors that it could be targeted for bids.

Other gainers on the day included BSkyB, which added 4.17 percent to 700p.

In the oil sector, BG Group (LSE: BG; NYSE: BG) gained 2.56 percent to 842p.

The pharmaceuticals sector was mixed.

AstraZeneca (LSE: AZN; NYSE: AZN) was 2.43 percent higher to £26.95 on an upgrade from “equal-weight” to “overweight” from Morgan Stanley (NYSE: MS), while Shire (LSE: SHP; NAS: SHPGY) was down 1.97 percent to £11.97 on rumors that it might be looking to make an acquisition.

Also lower on the session was property group Hammerson (LSE: HMSO), which dropped 1.65 percent to £13.67.

British Airways (LSE: BAY; NSYE: BAB) fell 1.7 percent to 418.5p, hurt by higher oil prices.

Equities markets were lower in London on Monday, but the declines were not nearly as big as those seen in Asia on the session. The FTSE 100 was 0.9 percent lower to 6,058.7, while the FTSE 250 fell 1.7 percent to 10,857.9. The 100 was below the 6,000 level for the first time since October during part of the session but was able to regain some of those losses as the Dow Jones Industrial Average was up slightly as the London session closed.

Miners and the oil sector suffered losses as commodities prices fell. Xstrata (LSE: XTA) fell 1.4 percent to £23.32, while Kazakhmys (LSE: KAZ) dropped 2.3 percent to £10.61 and Vedanta Resources was 3.1 percent lower to £11.80.

Among oil companies, Royal Dutch Shell (LSE: RDSA, RDSB; NYSE: RDS A, RDS B) was down 0.8 percent to £16.21. BP (LSE: BP; NYSE: BP; TYO: 5051) fell 1.1 percent to 511½p. Meanwhile, Cairn Energy (LSE: CNE) dropped 2.7 percent to £15.49, making it more likely that it will be delisted from the FTSE after tomorrow’s review.

British Airways (LSE: BAY; NYSE: BAB), which usually benefits from lower oil prices, still dropped 6.6 on the day to 497p on several issues, including a possible loss of earnings if an “open skies” agreement allows more carriers to fly trans-Atlantic routes out of Heathrow.

In the banking sector, HSBC (LSE: HSBA; NYSE: HBC; Euronext: HSBC; SEKH: 005) bucked the general losing trend to add 1.1 percent to 896p after it said that its pre-tax profits were up 4 percent in its full-year report.