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.

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.

In London on Wednesday equities markets were lower, with the FTSE 100 down 0.6 percent to 6,160.7 and the FTSE 250 also 0.6 percent lower, to 11,086.

Publishers, however, did well on the session. Reed Elsevier added 1.2 percent to 582p on comments from Credit Suisse that indicated the Anglo-Dutch publisher could be the target of a leveraged buyout. Yell Group, Yellow Pages publisher, was 2.1 percent higher to 578p on mixed remarks from brokers.

In the media sector, BSkyB also benefited from broker comments, adding 1.9 percent to 582p after Tuesday’s upgrade from Morgan Stanley.

Foods retailer Wm Morrison was also higher on the session, adding 6 percent to 286¼p on better sales than expected during the holiday period.

The tobacco sector was mixed. Imperial Tobacco dropped 0.1 percent to £20.80, but British American Tobacco gained 2.2 percent to £14.91 on positive comments from Dresdner Kleinwort.

Telecommunications companies saw declines. BT was 1.2 percent lower to 316½p on a downgrade from Investec, while Vodafone dropped 2.5 percent to 145¾p and Cable & Wireless fell 2.9 percent to 156¾p.

Pubs operators were lower after the chief executive of Enterprise Inns said that the introduction of real estate investment trusts would not likely provide any benefit to shareholders in the short term. Enterprise dropped 2.1 percent to £12.99, while Punch Taverns fell 3 percent to £12.14.

The London equities markets were lower on Wednesday ahead of the four-day Thanksgiving Day weekend in the United States. The FTSE 100 dropped 0.7 percent to 6,160.3, while the FTSE 250 fell 0.6 percent to 10,687.7.

Ladbrokes was 1.1 percent higher on the session to 397¼p as rumors circulated that private equity might be interested in making a bid for the bookmaker. Also up was British Airways, which added 2 percent to 491p on the news that Qantas Airways of Australia had received a $7.7 billion offer. Specialty chemicals company ICI was 9.3 percent higher to 423p as investors speculated that the sale of its Quest unit leaves it open to bids.

Plumbing and constructions materials company Wolseley fell 1.6 percent to £11.68 ahead of its annual meeting next week. Analysts are worried that the plumber might be forced into a restructuring because of the slowdown in the US housing market.

In the defence sector, BAE Systems dropped 0.4 percent to 414½p amid concerns that Saudi Arabia could cancel the contract for the Al Yamamah 3 fighter plane.

Among media companies, BSkyB was 0.7 percent lower to 531p, while ITV fell 2.2 percent to 109½p on reaction to its rejection of an offer from NTL. In addition, US fund manager Fidelity sold its 11 percent stake in ITV to BSkyB last week and then bought back 58.3 million ITV shares Monday for a much lower price per share; however it appeared that Fidelity had stopped buying shares.

The London equities markets were higher on Monday, with the FTSE 100 helped out by a bid for miner Phelps Dodge by Freeport-McMoran that raised hopes of further consolidation in the mining sector. The 100 added 0.2 percent on the session to 6,204.5. Meanwhile, the FTSE 250 gained 0.1 percent to 10,725.9, aided by a bid from Nasdaq for the London Stock Exchange, which was up 6 percent to £24.45 on the news.

The media sector was lower after BSkyB took 18 percent of ITV on Friday, which put a roadblock in the way of efforts of NTL to purchase ITV. BSkyB dropped 0.7 percent to 533p as investors figured that the purchase might be a good deal, while ITV was 1 percent lower to 114¼p.

Ladbrokes fell 1.9 percent to 390¾p on a downgrade from “buy” to “hold” from ABN Amro after an unsatisfactory trading update recently. Elsewhere in the leisure sector, Enterprise Inns added 2.3 percent to £11.67 ahead of its full-year report, due later in the day. Enterprise was expected to continue its share buy-back program instead of making new purchases.

The mining sector was higher after news of the Freeport-McMoran bid for Phelps Dodge. Anglo American added 2 percent to £24.45, while Rio Tinto was 2.4 percent higher to £27.32 despite the fact that there was some expectation that it might make a counter bid for Phelps. Antofagasta gained 4.1 percent to 476½p.

In London on Tuesday, the FTSE 100 dropped 0.12 percent to 6,186.6 but the FTSE 250 added 0.05 percent to 10,718.2, a record high close.

Miners were up on the session. Anglo American added 0.6 percent to £22.40 on rumors that investment bank JP Morgan is attempting to put together a deal for the miner, including that he is talking to Brian Gilbertson, formerly of BHP Billiton but now chairman of Rusal of Russia. Meanwhile, Xstrata was 1 percent higher to £22.14.

Credit check provider Experian gained 2.6 percent to 615p after it was said that private equity was interested, although some analysts were doubtful of the report. Experian reports its quarterly results next week.

Retailers were down as J Sainsbury dropped 1.6 percent to 412½p even though its first half numbers, due today, are said to be positive, and Wm Morrison fell 1.8 percent to 264¼p on the news that half of its board of directors have recently sold shares.

BSkyB was 2.4 percent lower to 537p after its chairman, Rupert Murdoch, made comments that the company’s build-up of its broadband internet business. The comments came in an informal “chat” with investors in Australia.

Wolseley dropped 1.6 percent to £11.90 on rumors that it was about to bid for Dutch firm Hagemeyer. Most traders, however, discounted the talk and said that the decline was due to Home Depot’s worse than anticipated quarterly report in the US.

The London equities markets were higher on Tuesday, but barely so, with the FTSE 100 adding a bare 0.04 percent to 6,129.2 and the FTSE 250 ending the session 0.6 percent higher to 10,372.2.

Friends Provident helped the 100 with its 6.7 percent gain to 207p after its third quarter report did better than had been anticipated. The life assurer also revealed plans to increase it’s market share.

BSkyB was also higher, adding 1.1 percent to 543½p on positive comments from Cazenove.

In the pharmaceuticals sector, Shire was 1.7 percent higher to 956½p on the possibility that it could renegotiate a profit-sharing agreement on a new attention deficit hyperactivity disorder treatment, NRP 104. The current agreement, with US company New River Pharmaceuticals, could give as much as 67 percent of the profits to the US firm. Credit Suisse, however, thinks that they agreement will change before the new drug goes on sale in the US early next year.

In the tobacco sector Imperial Tobacco, which said it is still looking for acquisitions, was 1 percent higher to £18.57. Gallaher, the maker of Benson & Hedges and Silk Cut cigarettes, added 1.5 percent to 890p on the hope that Imperial might bid, although most analysts see an offer for Altadis of Spain as more likely.

Shares in water companies were lower on the sessioni. Kelda Group was 1 percent lower to 866p, while Severn Trent dropped 1.6 percent to £13.96.

The London equities markets saw gains on Wednesday, with the FTSE 100 adding 0.7 percent to 6,150.4 and the FTSE 250 gaining 1.2 percent on the session to close at 10,342.

The media sector saw gains after upgrades for the sector. BSkyB was 0.9 percent higher to 552½p after JP Morgan said that it could top its target for subscribers for 2010. Elsewhere in the sector, Johnston Press added 2.3 percent to 428¾p, while Trinity Mirror gained 3 percent to 502½p and Daily Mail & General Trust was up 3.1 percent to 657p.

Steelmaker Corus added 1.7 percent to 487p on rumors that CSN, the Brazilian steelmaker was ready to top Tata Steel’s bid, worth 455p per share. The bid rumors were denied after the close of the session.

In the energy sector, British Energy was up 5.2 percent to 474p on rumors that a European utility could bid for the UK government’s 65 percent of the company. On the other hand, National Grid dropped 1.6 percent to 674½p.

The retail sector was also mixed, with Tesco up 1.5 percent to 390p, a record high share price, on speculation that it will raise its earnings forecast. However, clothing retailer Next dropped 1 percent to £18.51 on rumors that it is preparing to issue a profits warning.

The equities markets were up in London on Tuesday, helped by new data that shows consumer confidence in the United States up more than had been expected in September. The FTSE 100 was 1.3 percent higher to 5,873.6, while the FTSE 250 gained 0.9 percent to 9,844.9. Mergers and acquisitions speculation was another driving force on the session.

In the steel sector, Corus added 3.6 percent to 377¼p on continuing talk about its pursuit of a low-cost steel slab producer in the BRIC (Brazil, Russia, India and China) region. Morgan Stanley recently said that such a deal could produce a 100p per hike in Corus’ share prices.

Other bids rumors sent Scottish Power up 3 percent to 634p as rumors spread that Eon could bid for the utility if its effort to buy Endsea doesn’t work out. In the airlines sector, rumors that British Airways is in merger talks with Iberia sent BA 0.6 percent higher to 429p.B

Plumber and building materials group Wolseley gained 4.1 percent to £11.39 on a better than expected full-year report. Elsewhere in the sector, building materials supplier Hanson added 6.2 percent to 730p as rumors continued that Cemex is preparing a bid.

Among miners, Rio Tinto gained 3.5 percent to £24.34 on talk that it will propose an off-market buyback of London-traded shares for £25 per share.

Emap added 2.6 percent to 741p after the publisher received an upgrade to “buy” from Goldman Sachs.

Among losers on the session, BSkyB was 1.3 percent lower to 542p on talk that one of its brokers had been informed that its forecasts were too high by 10 percent. BSkyB denied the rumors.

Equities markets in London were up on Wednesday, with the FTSE 100 adding 0.9 percent to 5,932.1 and the FTSE 250 gaining 0.5 percent to 9,394.0. Volumes were still low, at 2.4 billion shares traded during the session.

Leading the leaders among blue-chips was ITV, which was up 4.6 percent to 101½p. The gains came amid rumors that the broadcaster’s chief executive will step down. ITV has been in focus recently over falling advertising revenues.

Cadbury Schweppes added 3.2 percent to 537½p even though it admitted that a recent incident that resulted in the contamination of some of its chocolate bars with salmonella will cost the company £20 million. The gain came on investor relief that the costs were only half the €40 million named in speculation.

Despite gains overall on the day, there were some significant declines in individual stocks. Corus dropped 3 percent to 415p on a warning from UBS that the industry as a whole is on the decline and a cut in the steel maker’s rating from “buy” to “neutral”.

A downgrade also hurt BSkyB. Citigroup downgraded the satellite broadcaster to “sell”, saying that new competition could have an impact on margins. BSkyB was 0.8 percent lower to 551p. In the banking sector, Lloyds TSB dropped 1.1 percent to 528p after Dresdner Kleinwort dropped its rating to “reduce”.

In the pharmaceuticals sector, GlaxoSmithKline fell 1.8 percent to £14.38 after going ex-dividend.