In London on Monday, the FTSE 100 gained 0.67 percent to 6,076 and the FTSE 250 added 0.38 percent to 11,552.8.

Miners saw gains after JPMorgan Chase upped its target share prices on BHP Billiton (LSE: BLT; ASX: BHP; NYSE: BHP) and Anglo American (LSE: AAL).

BHP, with its target share price hiked to £20.71, was 1.4 percent higher on the session to £18.68, while Anglo American jumped 3.3 added to £33.52 on a new target share price of £32.84.

Elsewhere in the sector Kazakhmys (LSE: KAZ) gained 3.42 to £15.14, Vedanta Resources (LSE: VED) was up 3.43 percent to £22.30.

Over on the 250, Finland-based miner Talvivaara Mining Company (LSE: TALV) added 6.16 percent to 297.25p while Aquarius Platinum (LSE: AQP; ASX: AQP; JSE: AQP) had the best day on the 250 as it jumped 7.05 percent to £19.12.

The big losers on the session were house builders and property developers.

On the 100, Hammerson (LSE: HMSO) dropped 2.83 percent to £10.29 while Barratt Developments (LSE: BDEV) was down 3.07 percent to 631p. Taylor Wimpey (LSE: TW) had the worst day on the 100, falling 3.56 percent to 230.5p.

Over on the 250, Daejan Holdings (LSE: DJAN) was 3.26 percent lower to £34.14 and Bovis Homes (LSE: BVS) dropped 3.43 percent to 634p.

In London on Thursday, the FTSE 100 dropped 1.02 percent to 6,609.4 and the FTSE 250 was 1.1 percent lower to 11,411.6.

House builders and property developers and investors did poorly on both indices.

Investor and developer Brixton (LSE: BXTN) was down 4.42 percent to 345.75p, while Hammerson (LSE: HMSO) was 4.74 percent lower to £10.66.

Quintain Estates & Development (LSE: QED) dropped 4.87 percent to 673.5p and St. Modwen Properties (LSE: SMP) fell 4.9 percent to 480.75p.

Builder and developer Barratt Developments (LSE: BDEV) was down 5.12 percent to 658.5 while Taylor Wimpey (LSE: TW) dropped 5.15 percent to 253.25.

In addition, building materials group Wolseley (LSE: WOS) was 4.57 percent lower to 786p.

The biggest loser on the 100, however, was consumer electronics retailer DSG International (LSE: DSGI), which fell 8.75 percent to 124.1p after it reported that first half profits were hurt by poor sales.

Elsewhere in the retail sector, sporting goods retailer Sports Direct (LSE: SPD) dropped 5.11 percent to 148.5p.

Medical devices manufacturer Smith & Nephew (LSE: SN) turned in the best performance on the 100 with a gain of 2.67 percent to 615p.

Other gainers included beverage cans maker Rexam (LSE: REX), which was up 1.99 percent to 538p and pubs operator Mitchells & Butlers (LSE: MAB) with a gain of 1.58 percent to 641p.

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 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.

In London on Monday the FTSE 100 was 0.92 percent lower to 6,134.1 and the FTSE 250 fell 1.2 percent to 10,974.8.

Media group ITV (LSE: ITV) added 2.02 percent to 352.75p for the best day on the 100.

IG Group (LSE: IGG), in the financial services sector, was the best performer on the 250 as it gained 2.02 percent to 111.3p.

Other gainers included investment manager Schroders (LSE: SDR.L), up 2 percent to £13.29.

Water utility Kelda Group (LSE: KEL) gained 1.55 percent to 852p, while electricity generator British Energy Group (LSE: BGY) was 1.82 percent higher to 476.5p.

Music retailer HMV Group (LSE: HMV) added 2.36 percent to 130p. Food processors were mixed.

Premier Foods (LSE: PFD) added 1.84 percent to 248.5p on the 250, but Associated British Foods (LSE: ABF) was 3.41 percent lower to 808.5p on the 100.

Property developers were lower on the session.

Hammerson (LSE: HMSO) dropped 3.27 percent to £11.82, while Minerva (LSE: MNR) was down 4.47 percent to 256.25p.

Builder Alfred McAlpine (LSE: MCA) fell 4.36 percent to 455.5p, while construction materials group Wolseley (LSE: WOS) dropped 3.63 percent to 928p.

The worst performer on the 100 was investment manager Invesco (LSE: AVZ; NYSE: IVZ), which was 3.72 percent lower to 557p, while car rental group Avis Europe (LSE: AVE) was down 4.97 percent to 43p.

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 higher Thursday, although the FTSE 100 only managed a gain of 0.01 percent to 6,196.9.

The FTSE 250, meanwhile, added 0.32 percent to 10,945.7.

Property developers and house builders had a bad day on the 100.

House builder Persimmon dropped 2.30 percent to £12.23 after ABN Amro (Euronext: AAB; NYSE: ABN) reduced its target share price from £17.20 to £15.30.

Among developers, British Land (LSE: BLND) fell 2.18 percent to £12.58 while SEGRO (LSE: SGRO) was 2.4 percent lower to 529p.

Hammerson (LSE: HMSO) was the worst performer on the 100, dropping 2.45 percent to £12.75.

However, in a related sector WSP Group (LSE: WSH), which specializes in construction management, engineering, and consulting, added 3.13 percent to 676.5p.

Brewer SABMiller (LSE: SAB) was 2.78 percent higher to £12.94.

Investment manager Schroders (LSE: SDR.L) had the best day on the 100 with a gain of 4.22 percent to £13.34, while its non-voting shares (LSE: SDRt.L) added 3.32 percent to £11.53.

Among banks, Northern Rock (LSE: NRK) was up 3.98 percent to 757p.

Other banks seeing gains included Alliance & Leicester (LSE: AL), which added 0.19 percent to £10.61. Lloyds TSB (LSE: LLOY) gained 0.27 percent to 553.5p, while HBOS (LSE: HBOS) was 2.05 percent higher to 898p.

Equities markets in London declined Wednesday as the FTSE 100 was 0.56 percent lower to 6,109.3 and the FTSE 250 dropped 0.99 percent to 10,889.3.

UK banks followed European banks lower.

HSBC (LSE: HSBA; NYSE: HBC; Euronext: HSBC; SEHK: 005) was down 2 percent to 883.5p, while Royal Bank of Scotland (LSE: RBS; NYSE: RBS PRM) fell 2.2 percent to 561p after it said it won’t reduce its bid, in consortium with other banks, for ABN Amro (Euronext: AAB; NYSE: ABN) to reflect ABN’s lower value after a dividend payout.

Standard Chartered (LSE: STAN; SEHK: 2888) was 2.25 percent lower to £15.62, while Northern Rock (LSE: NRK) had the worst day on the 100 as it dropped 5.3 percent to 687.5p after it said it could miss its profits forecast.

Miners were lower as well after copper prices fell 1.2 percent in London to $7,329 per tonne.

BHP Billiton (LSE: BLT; NYSE: BHP; ASX: BHP) was down 1.7 percent to £12.76, while Anglo American (LSE: AAL) was 1.9 percent lower to £27.25.

Housebuilders and property investors had a better day.

Persimmon (LSE: PSN) was the best performer on the 100 with a gain of 3.88 percent to £12.58, while Berkeley Group Holdings (LSE: BKG) topped the 250 as it added 4.67 percent to £16.14.

Bovis Homes (LSE: BVS) was up 4.07 percent to 805p, while Barratt Developments (LSE: BDEV) was 2.77 percent higher to 945p and Hammerson gained 2.14 percent to £12.40.

On the other hand, property investors Quintain Estates & Development (LSE: QED) had the worst day on the 250 as it dropped 9.62 percent to 817p.

The London equities markets saw strong gains Tuesday as the FTSE 100 added 1.93 percent to 6,308.8 and the FTSE 250 gained 2.15 percent to 11,235.2.

There were only two losers on the FTSE 100 on the session.

Food processor Tate & Lyle (LSE: TATE) was 0.54 percent lower to 558.5p, while miner Xstrata (LSE: XTA) fell 1.36 percent to £28.72 even though it said earnings were up 22 percent in the first half after it also made a $1 billion bid for South Africa’s Eland Platinum (JSE: ELD).

Human resources company Capita Group had the best day on the 100 as it added 5.71 percent to 748.5p.

Property investors did well on both the 100 and 250.

Hammerson (LSE: HMSO) was up 4.51 percent to £12.24, while Liberty International (LSE: LII) gained 4.64 percent to £10.61 on the 100 and Minerva jumped 9.01 percent to 278.25p on the 250.

Consulting engineers Mouchel Parkman (LSE: MCHL) had the best day on the 250, gaining 17.95 percent to 418.5p.

Other gainers on the session included telecommunications group Vodafone (LSE: VOD; NYSE: VOD; FWB: VOD), which added 4.91 percent to 159.4p.

In the banking sector, Standard Chartered gained 5.03 percent to £16.38.

The biggest decliner on the day on the 250 was Millennium & Copthorne Hotels (LSE: MLC), with a drop of 10.55 percent to 518p.

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.