Equities were down in London Wednesday, with the FTSE 100 down 0.49 percent to 6,482 and the FTSE 250 falling 0.71 percent to 11,278.5.

The pharmaceuticals sector saw losses.

GlaxoSmithKline (LSE: GSK; NYSE: GSK) dropped 0.9 percent to £12.49 after it reported that profits were down 5.8 percent in the third quarter on poor sales of Advair and Avandia.

Meanwhile, AstraZeneca (LSE: AZN; NYSE: AZN) fell 2 percent to £24.09 after a lowered recommendation from Merrill Lynch, which cited increased competition from generics in reducing the drug maker from “neutral” to “sell”.

Miners were also lower on declines in base metals prices.

Vedanta Resources (LSE: VED) dropped 4.05 percent to £20.63, while Lonmin (LSE: LMI) was down 4.66 percent to £32.50 and Kazakhmys (LSE: KAZ) fell 7.21 percent to £13.78 after it said output was cut by 19 percent in one of its mines after a flood.

Oil explorer and producer Cairn Energy (LSE: CNE) had the best day on the 250 with a gain of 6.35 percent to £24.13 on rumors that BP (LSE: BP; NYSE: BP; TYO: 5051) might make an offer.

Elsewhere in the oil sector, Tullow Oil (LSE: TLW; OTC: TUWLY) was up 2.09 percent to 610p.

Carphone Warehouse (LSE: CPW) gained 1.82 percent to 336.25p on news of an unexpected deal with Vodafone (LSE: VOD; NYSE: VOD; FWB: VOD) in which Vodafone will host Carphone Warehouse’s new mobile phone service.

The best performance on the 100 came from BAE Systems (LSE: BA). The aerospace and defense group added 3.36 percent to 507p.

London’s markets were also higher on the session.

The FTSE 100 added 3.5 percent to 6,064.2, while the FTSE 250 was 2.14 percent higher to 10,686.2.

As on the continent, banks saw gains.

Standard Chartered (LSE: STAN; SEHK: 2888) was the best performer on the 100 as it added 8.03 percent to £15.60, while Northern Rock (LSE: NRK) was right behind with a gain of 7.66 percent to 709.5p.

Insurers were also higher, with Standard Life (LSE: SLET) up 7.01 percent to 305.5p.

Broker ICAP (LSE: IAP) was 6.48 percent higher to 484.5p.

Miners also saw gains.

Rio Tinto (LSE: RIO) gained 1.8 percent to £29.82, while BHP Billiton (LSE: BLT; NSYE; BHP; ASX: BHP) added 3.5 percent to £12.24 and Lonmin (LSE: LMI) was 6.52 percent higher to £29.74.

In the pharmaceuticals sector, AstraZeneca (LSE: AZN; NYSE: AZN) was up 2.55 percent to £23.36 while GlaxoSmithKline (LSE: GSK; NYSE: GSK) gained 3.33 percent to £12.71.

Oil and gas services group Petrofac (LSE: PFC) had the best day on the 250, where it added 7.72 percent to 418.5p, while the biggest loser there was asset manager Henderson Group (LSE: HGI; ASX: HGI) at a drop of 2.9 percent to 125.5p.

There were only two losers on the 100 on the session. Imperial Chemical Industries (LSE: ICI) dropped 0.16 percent to 616p, while retailer Tesco (LSE: TSCO) was down 0.12 percent to 403.5p.

Equities markets were lower in London on Wednesday.

The FTSE 100 dropped 0.68 percent to 6,454.3, while the FTSE 250 was down 1.46 percent to 11,415.2.

Pharmaceutical group GlaxoSmithKline (LSE: GSK; NYSE: GSK) topped the 100, adding 2.33 percent to £12.75 on an unexpected increase in second quarter profits based on greater demand for its Advair asthma treatment.

GSK also announced an expansion of its share buy-back program.

Meanwhile on the 250, electronics and engineering group Renishaw (LSE: RSW), which makes gauges and meters, was the top performer with a gain of 14.33 percent to 684p/

Other gainers on the day included the banking sector.

On the 100, Northern Rock (LSE: NRK) added 1.87 percent to 817p, while on the 250 Bradford & Bingley (LSE: BB) gained 0.97 percent to 416.75p and Close Brothers Group (LSE: CBG) was up 1.93 percent to 845p.

Defense aerospace group BAE Systems (LSE: BA; OTCBB: BAESY) was 1.63 percent higher to 435.25p.

On the losing side, British Energy had the worst day on the 100, dropping 5.21 percent to 483.5p on a broker downgrade.

The worst performer on the 250 came from the semiconductors sector, where CSR (LSE: CSR) fell 11.28 percent to 770.5p.

The mining sector declined on copper prices that were lower.

Antofagasta (LSE: ANTO) was 2.47 percent lower to 723p, while Rio Tinto (LSE: RIO) was down 3.65 percent to £35.90.

On the 250, property developer Daejan Holdings (LSE: DJAN) fell 5.75 percent to £38.86, while builder Severfield-Rowen (LSE: SFR) dropped 5.69 percent to £22.36.

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).

Both the FTSE 100 and the FTSE 250 saw gains on Tuesday. The 100 added 0.4 percent to 6,381.8, while the 200 was 0.2 percent higher to 11,475.7.

The 100 was helped by gains in the mining sector after metals prices were up and on rumors that both Rio Tinto and BHP Billiton are thinking about bidding for aluminium manufacturer Alcoa. Rio Tinto added 2.5 percent to £27.53, while Billiton was 2.6 percent higher, to £10.67.

In the pharmaceuticals sector, GlaxoSmithKline gained 2.1 percent to £14.91 on a repeated “buy” rating from Collins Stewart. GSK has 10 new products ready to hit the market this year, with 31 at Phase III trials or better.

The real estate sector was lower on profit-taking and on less than admirable results from British Land in their fiscal third quarter. British Land dropped 3.6 percent to £16.19, while Liberty International fell 2.7 percent to £12.90 and Slough Estates was 1.5 percent lower to 771p. Liberty is scheduled to release its results on Wednesday.

British Energy was 3.3 percent lower to 410p after it said that one of its nuclear power plants will be closed until April.

London markets were higher as well on Friday and for the full week, ending with a new six-year high for the FTSE 100 and another all-time high for the FTSE 250. The 100 was 0.5 percent higher on Friday and 1.1 percent higher on the week, closing at 6,382.8, while the 250 closed at 11,522.8, up 0.7 percent on the day and 1.6 percent higher over the week.

In the energy sector, British Energy dropped 0.1 percent to 418¾p on rumors that the UK government could divest itself of part of the energy company after it reports next Tuesday. Several banks were brought in last year to consult on such a sale, but problems with some of the company’s nuclear power generators put the idea on a back burner. The government has claim on nearly 65 percent of the energy company’s net cash flow that is convertible to an equal-sized equity stake at will.

In the pharmaceuticals sector, GlaxoSmithKline added 2 percent to £14.50 on an upgraded recommendation from Bear Sterns. Meanwhile, SR Pharma added 12.1 percent over the week to 74p. There were bid rumors, but most analysts attributed the gain to the news that Pfizer and Quark Biotech are beginning clinical development on a new product licensed from SR.

The London Stock Exchange held steady at £12.82 as the deadline for acceptance of Nasdaq’s offer by LSE shareholders approached.

The FTSE 100 dropped 0.6 percent to 6,269.3 in London on Thursday, while the FTSE 250 was 0.2 percent lower to 11,171.1. The 100 briefly reached a six-year high, at 6,335.1, early in the session but dropped later on the slow start in the New York markets.

Real estate was higher on the session after JP Morgan reminded that the UK sector is currently a better bargain than its European rivals. Hammerson added 0.2 percent to £15.03, while British Land was 0.6 percent higher to £16.21.

Publisher Pearson added 0.9 percent to 817½p on bids rumors and after Citigroup upped its target share price to 900p.

The pharmaceuticals sector declined after Credit Suisse said that the sector would extend its underperformance into this year after a sector-wide decline of 5.2 percent last year, mentioning the trouble companies were having bringing new drugs to market and keeping them there once introduced. Shire dropped 1 percent to £10.99, while AstraZeneca fell 1.3 percent to £28.44 and GlaxoSmithKline was 1.4 percent lower to £13.93.

In a related news, medical devices manufacturer Smith & Nephew was 1.4 percent lower to 570½p after it was suggested that its next report might not show as much of an improvement in margins as is hoped.

The FTSE 100 ended the day and the week ahead on Friday, while the FTSE 250 saw declines for both the session and this week. The 100 added 0.1 percent during the day and was 0.3 percent higher on the week to close at 6,239. Meanwhile the 250 dropped 0.1 percent on Friday and 0.7 percent on the week to 11,111.7.

The pharmaceuticals sector was helped by a vote in the US House of Representatives that would let the government negotiate directly with drug companies on the prices of drugs for Medicare recipients. GlaxoSmithKline was 0.5 percent higher to £13.71, while AstraZeneca gained 1.3 percent to £28.73.

Bids rumors sent Woolworths up 3 percent to 34p. Baugur, which currently owns 10 percent of the retailer, is said to be considering offering a bid of 40p per share. Ladbrokes was helped by talk of a possible bid from private equity, gaining 2.4 percent to 449¼p.

In the oil sector, BP was 1.8 percent higher to 546½p on the news that its chief executive will retire in July, to be replaced by the company’s head of exploration and production.

Lloyds TSB added 1.7 percent to 593p on the possibility that its dividend could go up and after Cazenove upped its recommendation to “outperform”.

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.

The London equities markets were higher on Wednesday in reaction to overnight gains in New York and Tokyo, while the pharmaceuticals sector was higher and financial services gained on bids rumors. The FTSE 100 added 0.6 percent to 6,065.3, while the FTSE 250 gained 1.5 percent to 10,659.1.

Miners were up on higher prices for several metals. BHP Billiton added 1.8 percent to 954p, while Xstrata was 2.1 percent higher to £22.49.

In the pharmaceuticals sector, AstraZeneca was up 2.5 percent to £30.03. Shire added 2.7 percent to £10.34 on an upgrade from “neutral” to “overweight” from HSBC, while GlaxoSmithKline gained 3 percent to £13.71. Gains in the sector were helped by news that Swiss pharma group Novartis is thinking of selling its baby food unit, Gerber Products, to Nestle.

Among financial services groups, Prudential was 2.1 percent higher to 660p on rumors that HSBC could be interested, while Legal & General added 3 percent to 154p on talk that Dutch insurer Aegon was thinking of bidding.

In the software sector, Sage added 6.2 percent to 256p on its report that its pre-tax profits were up 14 percent in the quarter. Meanwhile plumber Wolseley gained 3.8 percent to £11.78 even though its fiscal first quarter profits were up only slightly.