In London the FTSE 100 added 0.09 percent to 6,730.7, but the FTSE 250 dropped 0.4 percent to 11,576.3.

Northern Rock moved back into the gainers column with the best day on the 100, adding 5.91 percent to 273.25p on the possibility that Virgin Group is looking at a rescue of the troubled bank.

The oil sector was mixed on the session.

Dana Petroleum (LSE: DNX) was 3.66 percent higher to £13.04 and BP (LSE: BP; NYSE: BP; TYO: 5051) was up 4.3 percent to 619p, but Hunting (LSE: HTG) dropped 3.58 percent to 755p.

Online price comparison site Moneysupermarket.com (LSE: MONY) led the 250 with a gain of 4.8 percent to 191p.

The biggest loser on the 250 was holding company Rank Group (LSE: RNK), which fell 21.38 percent to 125p on the session.

House builders were still feeling the pain of Thursday’s new data showing that home prices fell again in September.

Persimmon (LSE: PSN) was 2.69 percent lower to 976p, while Barratt Developments (LSE: BDEV) was down 3.19 percent to 699p and Taylor Wimpey (LSE: TW) dropped 3.27 percent to 281.25p.

In London on Thursday, the FTSE 100 was 1.38 percent higher to 6,724.5 while the FTSE 250 gained 0.96 percent to 11,622.9.

Commodities-related shares were higher on the session.

Vedanta Resources (LSE: VED) had the best day on the 100 as it added 5.8 percent to £23.17, while oil refiner and distributor Hunting (LSE: HTG) was the best performer on the 250 with a gain of 10.28 percent to 783p.

Elsewhere among miners, gold miner Randgold (LSE: RSS; NAS: GOLD) was 7.43 percent higher to £17.35 and Aquarius Platinum (LSE: AQP; ASX: AQP; JSE: AQP) jumped 9.42 percent to £18.47.

Back in the oil sector, Tullow Oil (LSE: TLW; OTC: TUWLY) was up 4.68 percent to 626.5p, while BG Group (LSE: BG; NYSE: BG) added 4.74 percent to 883p.

Among banks, Northern Rock (LSE: NRK) slipped again, dropping 5.67 percent to 258p for the worst performance of the session on the 100.

Meanwhile, the house building sector and property developers had a bad day after the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors reported that house prices were lower in the UK again in September.

Bovis Homes (LSE: BVS) was down 2.56 percent to 684p and Bellway (LSE: BWY) dropped 2.89 percent to £10.76.

Barratt Developments (LSE: BDEV) was 3.54 percent lower to 722p, Persimmon (LSE: PSN) fell 4.02 percent to £10.03 and Redrow (LSE: RDW) was down 4.31 percent to 388.5p.

Taylor Wimpey (LSE: TW) fell 4.28 percent to 290.75p.

London’s equities markets saw gains on the session Wednesday.

The FTSE 100 was 0.27 percent higher to 6,633 and the FTSE 250 gained 0.74 percent to 11,512.1.

In the banking sector, Northern Rock (LSE: NRK) added 32.29 percent to 273p after a hedge fund based in Monaco purchased a 4 percent stake in the troubled financial institution.

Other banks did not do as well on the day.

Barclays Bank (LSE: BARC; NYSE: BCS; TYO: 8642) was down 1.5 percent to 655.5p, while HBOS (LSE: HBOS) fell 3.09 percent to 926p after Lehman Brothers downgraded the bank from “overweight” to “underweight” and dropped its target share price from £10.46 to £10.28.

Voting shares in investment manager Schroders (LSE: SDR.L) added 5.71 percent to £15, while non-voting shares (LSE: SDRt.L) were up 4.27 percent to £12.94.

Business services group Experian (LSE: EXPN) had the worst day on the 100, where it fell 7 percent to 505p.

In the pharmaceuticals sector, meanwhile, Shire (LSE: SHP; NAS: SHPGY) dropped 2.1 percent to £12.15.

Reinsurer Benfield Group (LSE: BFD) was 2.83 percent lower to 724.25p, while construction group Severfield-Rowen (LSE: SFR) fell 2.65 percent to 552p.

London’s markets were down on Monday.

The FTSE 100 was 0.83 percent lower to 6,540.9 while the FTSE 250 was 0.54 percent lower to 11,328.7.

Northern Rock (LSE: NRK) gained 8.83 percent to 172.5p for the best performance on the 100, on a Sunday Times report that Citibank (NYSE: C) could lend the bank £10 billion.

But Alliance & Leicester (LSE: AL) was lower, falling 2.64 percent to 773p.

Carpet and floor retailer Carpetright (LSE: CPR) had the best day on the 250, adding 4.13 percent to £11.61.

Brewer and pubs operator Marston’s (LSE: MARS) was the biggest loser on the 250, dropping 5.51 percent to 347.25, but brewer Scottish & Newcastle (LSE: SCTN) gained 2.05 percent to 622p on takeover speculation.

Miners were lower on the 100.

Xstrata (LSE: XTA) was down 3.25 percent to £32.12 and Vedanta Resources was 4.31 percent lower to £20.86, while Kazakhmys (LSE: KAZ) fell the most on the 100, down 5.89 percent to £15.02 on the news that copper cathode production is expected to fall.

Property developers and investors were lower.

British Land (LSE: BLND) dropped 2.85 percent to £10.92, while Minerva (LSE: MNR) fell 4.62 percent to 232.25p.

Mortgage lender Bradford & Bingley (LSE: BB) was down 5.18 percent to 270.25p.

Miners led the way in London as the FTSE 100 added 0.73 percent to 6,595.8 and the FTSE 250 gained 0.18 percent to 11,390.4.

Anglo American (LSE: AAL) was up 2.92 percent to £33.43 and Antofagasta (LSE: ANTO) was 3.25 percent higher to 826p, while Kazakhmys (LSE: KAZ) turned in the best performance on the 100 as it added 4.59 percent to £15.96.

Meanwhile over on the 250, price comparison website Moneysupermarket.com (LSE: MONY) was the top performer of the day with a gain of 5.57 percent to 189.5p.

Construction group Severfield-Rowen (LSE: SFR) was up 4.04 percent to £21.10.

House builders and property developers, however, didn’t do as well over on the 100.

Land Securities Group (LSE: LAND) was 3.21 percent lower to £16.87, while British Land (LSE: BLND) was down 3.44 percent to £11.24 after it said it will not sell its stake in Meadowhall shopping center after all.

Barratt Developments (LSE: BDEV) dropped 4.14 percent to 765p while Hammerson (LSE: HMSO) was down 4.26 percent to £11.68.

But Alliance & Leicester (LSE: AL) turned in the worst performance on the 100 as it fell 6.81 percent to 794p on a broker downgrade.

Mortgage lender Bradford & Bingley (LSE: BB) did the worst on the 250, dropping 6.58 percent to 285p.

London’s markets saw gains as well, with the FTSE 100 adding 0.54 percent to 6,535.2 and the FTSE 250 was up 1.15 percent to 11,360.2.

Northern Rock (LSE: NRK) led the 100 with a gain of 11.95 percent to 151.8p on rumors that a US private equity group has arranged funding for a possible takeover.

Alliance & Leicester (LSE: AL) was also higher, adding 7.06 percent to 880p.

But the banking sector was not universally higher.

Merchant bank Close Brothers Group (LSE: CBG) was down 3.47 percent to 794p for the worst day on the 250.

The insurance sector was also mixed.

While Old Mutual (LSE: OML; JSE: OLOML) was up 4.74 percent to 168p, Royal Sun & Alliance (LSE: RSA) was 1.73 percent lower to 153.1p.

Other gainers included house builders Taylor Wimpey (LSE: TW), which added 4.16 percent to 300.75p, and pubs operator Punch Taverns (LSE: PUB) with a gain of 3.87 percent to £10.46.

PartyGaming (LSE: PRTY) was 7.83 percent higher to 31p to lead the 250 on the session.

The worst performance of the day on the 100 came from the telecommunications sector as Vodafone (LSE: VOD; NYSE: VOD; FWB: VOD) dropped 2.51 percent to 171.1p.

Elsewhere in the sector, Cable & Wireless (LSE: CW) was 1.65 percent lower to 185.2p.

Retailers had a difficult day of it.

Sporting goods retailer Sports Direct (LSE: SPD) fell 3.43 percent to 133.75, while Carphone Warehouse (LSE: CPW) was down 1.52 percent to 340.75p and Home Retail (LSE: HOME) was 2.27 percent lower to 398.25p.

Equities markets in London were lower in Friday trade.

The FTSE 100 fell 0.3 percent to 6,466.8 while the FTSE 250 was 0.02 percent lower to 11,037.4.

Miners were mixed.

Lonmin (LSE: LMI) added 7.39 percent to £36.49 on a rise in platinum prices and on the possibility that Xstrata (LSE: XTA) might be interested in bidding.

Gold miner Randgold (LSE: RRS; NAS: GOLD), meanwhile, was up 6.96 percent to £16.60.

On the other hand Antofagasta (LSE: ANTO) was 3.54 percent lower to 762.5p, while Kazakhmys (LSE: KAZ) fell 3.44 percent to £14.05 after a downgrade from “buy” to “neutral” from UBS (NYSE: UBS; SWX: USBN; TYO: 8657).

Food processor Tate & Lyle (LSE: TATE) was the biggest loser by far on the 100, plummeting 27.8 percent to 402.5p after it announced a “small” loss in the first half.

Over on the 250, broker Collins Stewart (LSE: CLST) was the best performer, adding 7.59 percent to 205.5p.

Other gainers on the 250 included reinsurer Benfield Group (LSE: BFD), which was up 7.41 percent to 290p.

Dana Petroleum (LSE: DNX) gained 6.31 percent to £11.62.

Asset managers New Star (LSE: NSAM) had the worst day on the 250 as it dropped 13.33 percent to 354p on statements from its chairman that it now faces a “challenging environment” after first half profits were up by 57 percent.

Also lower were PartyGaming (LSE: PRTY) with a decline of 5.17 percent to 27.50p and the London Stock Exchange (LSE: LSE), which dropped 4.75 percent to £16.43.

In London on Thursday the FTSE 100 added 0.83 percent to 6,486.4 and the FTSE 250 was up 1.38 percent to 11,039.5.

Banks were higher on the 100.

HBOS (LSE: HBOS) gained 4.93 percent to 916p, while Northern Rock (LSE: NRK) was 6.32 percent higher to 193.5p.

Alliance & Leicester (LSE: AL) had the best day on the blue chip index as it added 8.46 percent to 795p.

Insurer Standard Life (LSE: SLET) was also higher, gaining 5.91 percent to 291.25p.

House builder Taylor Wimpey (LSE: TW) jumped 6.59 percent to 275p.

Over on the 250, online gambler PartyGaming (LSE: PRTY) put in the best performance as it added 7.41 percent to 29p.

Commodity-related sectors didn’t have as good a day.

Among miners, Aquarius Platinum (LSE: AQP; ASX: AQP; JSE: AQP) had the worst day on the 250 with a decline of 7.09 percent to £17.31.

Over on the 100, Vedanta Resources (LSE: VED) fell 2.47 percent to £20.57 and Kazakhmys (LSE: KAZ) was down 1.69 percent to £14.55.

In the oil sector, Tullow Oil (LSE: TLW; OTC: TUWLY) was 1.93 percent lower to 585p.

JKX Oil & Gas (LSE: JKX) dropped 3.34 percent to 333p.

Caterer Compass Group (LSE: CPG) had the worst day on the 100, where it fell 2.97 percent to 310.75p.

London’s equities markets saw gains Wednesday as some banks were higher.

The FTSE 100 added 0.56 percent to 6,433 while the FTSE 250 gained 0.33 percent to 10,889.3.

Banks were higher on the 100, led by Northern Rock (LSE: NRK), which was up 11.59 percent to 182p after it said it had received some approaches to buy, as well an offer.

HBOS (LSE: HBOS) was 5.12 percent higher to 873p after Goldman Sachs (NYSE: GS) added it to its “conviction buy” list, while Alliance & Leicester (LSE: AL) gained 3.4 percent to 733p.

Internet price comparison site Moneysupermarket.com (LSE: MONY) was the best performer of the day on the 250 as it added 5.49 percent to 173p.

Miners were mixed.

Aquarius Platinum (LSE: AQP; ASX: AQP; JSE: AQP) was 5.37 percent higher to £18.63 on the 250, but Xstrata (LSE: XTA) was down 1.44 percent on the 100 to £31.49.

DSG International (LSE: DSGI) had the worst day on the 100, where it dropped 3.71 percent to 129.9p after Credit Suisse (NYSE: CS; SWX: CSGN) cut the retailer’s target share price from 155p to 95p.

Elsewhere in the retail sector, Carphone Warehouse (LSE: CPW) was down 2.1 percent to 350.25p.

Over on the 250, computer software and video game retailer GAME Group (LSE: GAME) fell 6.93 percent to 188p.

The worst performance on the 250 came from the oil sector, where JKX Oil & Gas (LSE: JKX) was 7.02 percent lower to 344.5p.

London’s markets also declined, with the FTSE 100 down 1.07 percent to 6,396.9 and the FTSE 250 closing at 10,853.2, a drop of 1.7 percent.

Miners dropped as metals prices declined.

Vedanta Resources (LSE: VED) had the worst day on the 100 as it fell 6.49 percent to £20.90, while Antofagasta (LSE: ANTO) dropped 6.35 percent to 789.5p and Lonmin (LSE: LMI) was 5.35 percent lower to £32.02.

Northern Rock (LSE: NRK) had another down day, falling 5.17 percent to 163.10 as it said it won’t pay a dividend it had promised to investors.

House builder Taylor Wimpey (LSE: TW) was down 5.72 percent to 255.5p.

Property developer Hammerson (LSE: HMSO), on the other hand, added 1.06 percent to £11.40.

Electric power transmitter National Grid (LSE: NG) had the best day on the 100 with a gain of 2.5 percent to 780p, while Scottish & Southern Energy (LSE: SSE; OTC: SSEZY) added 1.38 percent to £14.73.

Over on the 250, electricity generator Drax Group (LSE: DRX) was 2.38 percent higher to 602p.

Natural gas utility Wellstream (LSE:WSM) gained 10.79 percent to 770p for the best day on the 250.

Construction groups were mixed.

Alfred McAlpine (LSE: MCA) was up 2.83 percent to 449.5p but Severfield-Rowen (LSE: SFR) was 6.65 percent lower to £21.05.