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.

In London on Monday, the FTSE 100 was 0.57 percent lower to 6,189.1 and the FTSE 250 fell 1.67 percent to 10,998.8.

Standard Life (LSE: SLET) was the biggest gainer on the 100, adding 3.03 percent to 315p on consolidation hopes within the sector.

Builder Alfred McAlpine (LSE: MCA) did the best on the 250 with a gain of 4.7 percent to 484.5p.

Other gainers on the session included the house building sector, where Persimmon (LSE: PSN) was up 1.93 percent to £11.64 and Taylor Wimpey (LSE: TW) added 2.18 percent to 339.75p.

British American Tobacco (LSE: BATS; AMEX: BTI; KLSE: BAT) was 2.4 percent higher to £16.12, while music retailer HMV Group (LSE: HMV) gained 4.7 percent to 118.25p.

The biggest loser on the day on the 100 was platinum miner Lonmin (LSE: LMI), which fell 4.81 percent to £30.85.

Aquarius Platinum (LSE: LSE: AQP; ASX:AQP; JSE:AQP) did even worse on the 250, dropping 5.56 percent to £12.90.

Elsewhere in the mining sector BHP Billiton (LSE: BLT; NYSE: BHP; ASX: BHP) dropped 2.98 percent to £13.33, while Kazakhmys (LSE: KAZ) fell 2.93 percent to £11.94, Anglo American (LSE: AAL) was 2.68 percent lower to £26.85 and Rio Tinto (LSE: RIO) was down 1.33 percent to £32.19.

Investment trust Ashmore (LSE: ASHM) did the worst on the 250, falling 8 percent to 204p.

Other decliners on the session included supermarket chain Wm Morrison (LSE: MRW), which dropped 3.6 percent to 274.25p.

Pubs operator Punch Taverns (LSE: PUB) fell 3.36 percent to £10.36 and investment management group INVESCO (LSE: AVZ; NYSE: IVZ) was 3.15 percent lower to 585p on its exposure to the US housing sector.

In London on Thursday, the FTSE 100 added 1.16 percent to 6,227.7, largely on the strength of gains in the mining sector. The FTSE 250 was also higher, gaining 1.6 percent to 11,363.8.

Among miners, Xstrata (LSE: XTA) added 0.4 percent to £24.69 after rumors surfaced that it was thinking about bidding on Canadian nickel miner Lionore Mining (LSE, Toronto Stock Exchange: LIM), which gained 2.7 percent to 750p. Lionore is up nearly 133 percent since October of last year.

Elsewhere in the sector, Vedanta Resources (LSE: VED) and Kazakhmys (LSE: KAZ) were each 2.9 percent higher, to £12.49 and £11.24 respectively. Kazakhmys just purchased Dostan-Temir as its first move into the oil sector. Antofagasta (LSE: ANTO) gained 3.1 percent to 476p on rumors that a special dividend of 40 cents US per share might be announced next Tuesday when it reveals its full-year results.

In the banking sector, Standard Chartered (LSE: STAN; SEHK: 2888) added 2.2 percent to £14.30 on broker comments that low share prices meant a good opportunity to buy as well as the news that Singapore’s state investment company, Temasek, had increased its holding in the bank to 12 percent.

Music retailer HMV (LSE: HMV) was up 3.9 percent to 146p ahead of a strategy presentation scheduled for next Tuesday. Pali International initiated coverage with a “buy” recommendation.

First Choice Holidays (LSE: FCD) added 1.2 percent to 268¾p on rumors that private equity might be interested in making a bid.

In a short session ahead of the long Christmas weekend, the FTSE 100 added 0.1 percent to 6,190.0. The FTSE 250 was also higher, gaining 0.2 percent to 11,083.5. Volumes were extremely light, with fewer than 1 billion shares changing hands. The 250 was even on the week, while the 100 dropped 1.1 percent from its opening level on Monday.

The retail sector was mixed. Marks & Spencer added 1 percent to 721p, a record high, as Credit Suisse reaffirmed its “outperform” rating. On the other hand, DSG International, owner of Currys and Dixons, dropped 188¾p after Credit Suisse labeled it an underperformer. HMV, the book and music retailer, dropped 3.1 percent to 142¼p on a downgrade from Goldman Sachs after it issued a profit warning earlier in the week.

Premier Foods dropped 5.3 percent to 300p after it said that its yearly profits would only make the low end of predictions. It said the drop was due to the fact that many people had been putting off shopping for Christmas because of mild weather.

Gainers included Centrica, which gained 3 percent to 356p on a target price upgrade from Citigroup, which said that the energy company would benefit from a drop in wholesale gas prices. Also seeing gains was Intercontinental Hotels Group. The Holiday Inn chain operator gained 4.8 percent to £12.17 on bids rumours.

In London on Thursday, equities markets bounced back after Wednesday’s losses as the FTSE 100 gained 0.7 percent to 5,855.9 and the FTSE 250 was up 0.8 percent to 9,381.1.

The pharmaceuticals sector provided a positive influence as AstraZeneca rose 4.4 percent to £28.32 on talk that Swiss company Novartis is thinking of bidding for the company. GlaxoSmithKline also was up on the day, by 1.5 percent to £15.59, on an upgrade to “buy” from Deutsche Bank and on the news that it has filed for European approval for Cervarix, its vaccine against cervical cancer.

The supermarket sector was mixed. Tesco dropped 0.9 percent to 329p, largely due to the fact that as the largest company in the sector it has the most to lose in a government probe into the sector’s competitive practices. Elsewhere in the sector, however, J Sainsbury gained 0.6 percent to 319½p, while Wm Morrison added 1.2 percent to 207p.

Music and book retailer HMV was up 5.4 percent to 192p on rumors that private equity group Permira has upped its bid for the company.

British Airways was up 3.8 percent to 328½p on the news that it plans to save £450 million over two years.

Airport operator BAA was down by 6.7 percent to 775p on rumors that Spanish construction company Grupo Ferrovial is having second thoughts about its plans to bid for the owner of Heathrow, Gatwick and Stansted airports. Ferrovial insists that its plans have not changed.

The London equities markets saw declines on the day on Tuesday as mining shares fell victim to fears that rising interest rates around the world could curb demand for metals. The FTSE 100 dropped 0.7 percent to 5,857.4 and the FTSE 250 declined by 0.9 percent to 9,458.3 on a volume of 3.3 billion shares traded on the day.

Lower prices on metals sent mining stocks down. Antofagasta fell 3.9 percent to £20.21. Xstrata was down 3.8 percent to £16.74, while Anglo American dropped 3.7 percent to £20.50 and BHP Billiton declined by 3.1 to 934½p. Copper miner Kazakhmys, based in Kazakhstan, fell 3.8 percent to 855½p on comments from its chief executive that the company might spend as much as $2 billion this year in diversification.

In the steel sector, Corus dropped 2.7 percent to 72¾p on the news that it will be placed in the FTSE 100 on Thursday.

In the retail sector, N Brown lost 0.8 percent to 212¼p when investors moved to take gains on the news that the company could be a bid target. Book and music retailer HMV Group dropped 4 percent to 182¼p amid rumors that private equity group Permira could abandon plans to purchase the company since its offer of 190p per share was turned down.

Tullow Oil saw a gain on the day of 2.4 percent to 310¾p on the news that its partner, Hardman Resources, had found oil in a well in Uganda, even thought there were few details of the find. The news gained Tullow an upgrade from “reduce” to “hold” from Oriel Resources. Oriel also upgraded Hardman, listed on Aim, from “buy” to “add”, sending Hardman up 3.8 percent on the day to 82½p.