In London on Wednesday, the FTSE 100 added 0.96 percent to 6,677.7 and the FTSE 250 gained 1.51 percent to 11,538.

The big gainer on the 100 was brewer Scottish & Newcastle (LSE: SCTN), which jumped 18.77 percent to 756p after Carlsberg (OMX: CARL A, CARL B) and Heineken (Euronext: HEIA) said they are in talks concerning forming a consortium to make a bid for the UK brewer.

Elsewhere in the sector SAB Miller (LSE: SAB) added 2.3 percent to £14.62.

Among retailers, supermarkets also saw gains.

Tesco (LSE: TSCO) was 1.9 percent higher to 475p, while Wm Morrison (LSE: MRW) gained 4.09 percent to 298.75p.

Elsewhere in the retail sector, sporting goods retailer Sports Direct (LSE: SPD) was up 10.99 percent to 156.5p for the best day on the 250.

Other gainers included food processor Tate & Lyle (LSE: TATE), which was 7.63 percent higher to 455p, and Imperial Tobacco Group (LSE: IMT) with a gain of 4.31 percent to £23.97.

In the banking sector, Northern Rock was back in the losing column dropping 7.16 percent to 207.5p for the worst day on the 100.

Miner Rio Tinto (LSE: RIO) fell 1.47 percent to £43.54 after it said iron production dropped 2 percent in the quarter ending September 30 from the previous quarter.

In the oil sector, BP (LSE: BP; NSYE: BP; TYO: 5051) was 1.2 percent lower to 619.5p.

Miners were the big gainers in London on Wednesday, where the FTSE 100 gained 2.81 percent to 6,460 and the FTSE 250 was 3.09 percent higher to 11,136.3.

The five biggest gainers on the 100 were all in the mining sector, where gains came on hopes that the US interest rate cut will help prop up demand for metals.

Anglo American (LSE: AAL) had the best day on the 100, with a gain of 8.27 percent to £31.29.

Vedanta Resources (LSE: VED) was 7.74 percent higher to £20.73, while Kazakhmys (LSE: KAZ) was up 7.07 percent to £14.23, Xstrata (LSE: XTA) added 6.76 percent to £30.50 and Antofagasta (LSE: ANTO) gained 6.71 percent to 787p.

Elsewhere in the sector, BHP Billiton (LSE: BLT; NYSE: BHP; ASX: BHP) was up 6.3 percent to £16.27 and Rio Tinto (LSE: RIO) was 5.8 percent higher to £39.47.

Over on the 250, gold miner Randgold (LSE: RRS; NAS: GOLD) jumped 9.37 percent to £15.64.

Financial services group Bluebay (LSE: BBAY) had the best day on the 250, adding 20.58 percent to 470.25p.

Mortgage lenders also had a good day with Paragon (LSE: PAG) up 9 percent to 327p, while Bradford & Bingley (LSE: BB) gained 10.9 percent to 328p.

Northern Rock (LSE: NRK) dropped again, however, dropping 16.01 percent to 257p for the worst performance on the 100, on rumors that it has received a bid and could be sold for less than market value.

The tobacco sector was also lower on the session.

Imperial Tobacco Group (LSE: IMT) was 0.14 percent lower to £22.07, while British American Tobacco (LSE: BATS; AMEX: BTI; KLSE: BAT) was down 0.3 percent to £16.85.

London equities markets saw gains Friday.

The FTSE 100 was 1.47 percent higher to 6,303.3 and the FTSE 250 was up 1.89 percent to 11,309.2.

Miners were higher as metals prices advanced.

Vedanta Resources had the best day on the 100, adding 4.38 percent to £17.63.

Rio Tinto (LSE: RIO; ASX: RIO) was right behind with a gain of 3.72 percent to £34.30 after it gained approval from the Canadian government to proceed with its takeover of Alcan (TSX: AL; NYSE: AL).

Other gainers on the 100 included Imperial Tobacco (LSE: IMT), which added 3.22 percent to £22.41.

Supermarket chain Wm Morrison (LSE: MRW) gained 3.15 percent to 286.25p, while food processor Tate & Lyle (LSE: TATE) was 3.11 percent higher to 564.5p.

Engineering group Melrose (LSE: MRO) was the best performer on the 250, adding 9.97 percent to 190.25p.

Consumer goods retailer Home Retail (LSE: HOME) had the worst day on the 100, dropping 1.07 percent to 414.25p, while publisher Euromoney Institutional Investor (LSE: ERM) saw the biggest decline on the 250, falling 4.34 percent to 540p.

Also on the 250, auto sales group Pendragon (LSE: PDG) dropped 2.26 percent to 75.75p, while builder John Wood Group (LSE: WG.) fell 1.09 percent to 361.5p.

Back on the 100, non-voting shares in investment manager Schorders (LSE: SDRt.L) were 0.26 percent lower to £11.43, while house builder Persimmon (LSE: PSN) dropped 0.52 percent to £11.57 and pubs operator Mitchells and Butlers (LSE: MAB) was down 0.77 percent to 712.5p.

Equities markets in London were mixed on Monday.

The FTSE 100 was 0.15 percent lower to 6,206.1, while the FTSE 250 gained 0.79 percent to 11,071.7.

Miners saw significant gains on the day.

BHP Billiton (LSE: BLT; ASX: BHP; NYSE: BHP) gained 3.09 percent to £14.03, while Rio Tinto (LSE: RIO) added 3.68 percent to £34.51, Antofagasta (LSE: ANTO) was 4.15 percent higher to 702p, and Vedanta Resources (LSE: VED) was up 5.5 percent to £17.07.

The best performer on the 100 came in the chemicals sector, where Imperial Chemical Industries (LSE: ICI; NYSE: ICI) added 7.19 percent to 618.5p.

The biggest loser on the 100 was in the financial services sector, where Man Group (LSE: EMG) fell 2.75 percent to 547.5p.

Other decliners included Imperial Tobacco Group (LSE: IMT), which dropped 2.02 percent to £21.37.

Prudential (LSE: PRU; NYSE: PUK) dropped 2.11 percent to 650p, while electric power transmitter National Grid (LSE: NG) was 2.14 percent lower to 686p.

Manufacturer FKI (LSE: FKI) had the best day on the 250, adding 9.16 percent to 110.25p, while JKX Oil & Gas (LSE: JKX) gained 8.61 percent to 346p.

The worst performer on the 250 was property investment group Capital & Regional (LSE: CPP), which fell 4.12 percent to 907p.

Equities markets in London saw big losses on Tuesday’s session.

The FTSE 100 fell 1.9 percent to 6,498.7, while the FTSE 250 dropped 1.68 percent to 11,584.

Retailers were lower after sporting good retailer Sports Direct (LSE: SPD) dropped 22.63 percent to 147p after it issued its second profits warning since it’s IPO in February, prompting negative broker comment.

Other retailers seeing declines included GAME Group (LSE: EBQ), which fell 6.86 percent to 193.5p.

Home Retail (LSE: HOME) was 3.28 percent lower to 427.25p, while clothing retailer Next (LSE: NXT) was down 2.66 percent to £18.67 and DIY retailer Kingfisher (LSE: KFG) dropped 2.25 percent to 217.5p.

Electric power generators were lower as well.

British Energy (LSE: BGY) had the worst day on the 100 as it fell 4.5 percent to 509p, while Drax Group (LSE: DRX) was 3.84 percent lower to 700.5p.

Miners were also lower, with Anglo American (LSE: AAL) down 3.81 percent to £31.33 and Lonmin (LSE: LMI) dropping 3.88 percent to £35.90.

Insurer Old Mutual was 3.93 percent lower to 168.7p after talk that South African bank Nedbank (JSE: NED), in which Old Mutual owns a majority stake, might be the target of a takeover.

There were gainers on the day.

Spread betting specialist IG Group Holdings (LSE: IGG) added 9.21 percent to 341p for the best performance of the day on the 250, while consumer products group Reckitt Benckiser (LSE: RB) had the best day on the 100 with a gain of 1.14 percent to £27.48 ahead of its quarterly report.

Other gainers included phone book publisher Yell Group (LSE: YELL), which added 0.69 percent to 472.5p on positive fiscal first quarter results.

Imperial Tobacco (LSE: IMT) gained 0.78 percent to £23.13.

The London markets did not decline as much as the continental European markets did on Friday, but they were down as well.

The FTSE 100 fell 0.83 percent to 6,585.2, while the FTSE 250 dropped 0.51 percent to 11,819.4.

Gainers on the day included insurer Friends Provident, which had the best day on the 100 as it added 4.25 percent to 186.4p.

On the 250, consumer goods group SSL International (LSE: SSL) did the best, gaining 3.99 percent to 469.25p.

Other advances on the day included aerospace and defense group BAE Systems (LSE: BA; OTCBB: BAESY), which was up 1.6 percent to 428p.

Imperial Tobacco (LSE: IMT) was 1.11 percent higher to £22.78, while British Energy (LSE: BGY) gained 0.86 percent to 527.5p.

Off of the major indices, software company iSoft (LSE: IOT) added 19 percent to 65.5p after it received a bid from German computer information systems group CompuGroup (FWB: COP).

Miners were mixed on the session, with Antofagasta (LSE: ANTO) up 1.45 percent to 736p but Lonmin (LSE: LMI) was 2.72 percent lower to £36.85.

The biggest loser on the day on the 100 was Cable and Wireless (LSE: CW), which fell 3.6 percent to 182p on shareholder protests over executive pay.

British Airways (LSE: BAY; NYSE: BAB), meanwhile, dropped 2.83 percent to 420p on reports that the current stringent airport security measures could remain in place for the foreseeable future.

Asset management group Bluebay (LSE: BBAY) was the worst performer on the 250 as it dropped 4.91 percent to 430.75p.

Auto insurer Admiral Group (LSE: ADM) was 4.85 percent lower to 819p, while internet gamer PartyGaming (LSE: PRTY) fell 4.58 percent to 31.25p.

Equities markets were higher in London on Thursday as the FTSE 100 added 0.4 percent to 6,380.9 and the FTSE 250 also gained 0.4 percent to 11,584.4.

Miners advanced on the session on higher prices for copper, which were up by around 6 percent on the session. Antofagasta (LSE:ANTO) gained 3.4 percent to 489p, while Kazakhmys (LSE: KAZ) added 3.6 percent to £11.65 and Xstrata (LSE: XTA) was 3.7 percent higher to £25.72.

The tobacco sector was mixed. Imperial Tobacco (LSE: IMT) was down 0.3 percent to £21.93 when Altadis (IBEX-35: ALT) of Spain denied rumors that it could make a joint bid for the company along with Philip Morris (NYSE: MO). On the other hand, British American Tobacco (LSE: BATS; AMEX: BTI; KLSE: BAT) added 0.5 percent to £15.74 as investors hoped that it would introduce increased share buybacks and cost-cutting measures when it issues its full-year report next week.

Emap (LSE: EMA) gained 0.8 percent to 737p as rumors circulated that it might offer one of its divisions for sale. Several buyers were suggested as possibly being interested in different units. In addition, Panmure Gordon upgraded the media group to “buy”.

Records were set Tuesday in London as both the FTSE 250 and the FTSE All-Share hit new record highs and the FTSE 100 closed at its highest level in six years. The 100 added 0.4 percent to 6,346.3, while the 250 was 0.6 percent higher to 11,479.4 and the All-Share gained 0.5 percent to 3,290.67.

Defense contractor BAE Systems added 2.8 percent on the session to 439¼p after US President George W. Bush asked for record defense spending in his 2008 budget, delivered to Congress on Monday.

Imperial Tobacco added 1.3 percent to £22.14 even though it was the target of a Deutsche Bank downgrade after rumors surfaced that it might receive a bid from Altadis of Spain in cooperation with private equity.

Supermarkets were higher on raised target share prices from UBS and on a report that a group of investors from Qatar had taken a 1 percent stake in J Sainsbury. Sainsbury was 1.3 percent higher to 516 on the report. Tesco added 1 percent to 438½p as UBS hiked its target share price to 550p, while Wm Morrison added 2.6 percent, to a new record share price of 311p, after its target was raised to 360p.

In the telecommunications sector Cable & Wireless gained 3 percent to 179½p, its highest share price in four and a half years, on reports that it could be a target of Deutsche Telekom. Analysts were not convinced of the rumors in the German press, saying that DT is in no position to make offers currently.

Trade was brisk in London on Friday as 4.2 billion shares traded hands and the FTSE 100 was close to a six-year high. The 100 ended the day up 0.4 percent to 6,310.9, a gain of 1.3 percent on the week. The FTSE 250, meanwhile, added 1.1 percent on the day and 2 percent on the week to close at an all-time high of 11,343.3.

The supermarkets sector was driven by rumors that private equity is interested in J Sainsbury and especially interested in the properties it holds. Sainsbury added 13.9 percent on the day to 507p, its highest share price in eight years, while fellow grocers Tesco and Wm Morrison were up 3.7 percent to 435p and 5.9 percent to 300¾p respectively.

Elsewhere in the retail sector, Kingfisher was up 3.5 percent to 252½p, while Marks & Spencer was 4.1 percent higher to 717½p.

The interest in Sainsbury for its properties also helped other property backed stocks. Pubs operators Enterprise Inns and Mitchells & Butlers were among those seeing gains. Enterprise added 2.8 percent to 665½p, while Mitchells & Butlers gained 4.4 percent to 736p. Mitchells & Butlers was also boosted by its addition by Goldman Sachs to the broker’s “conviction buy” list.

In the tobacco sector, Imperial Tobacco closed at an all-time high £21.75, a gain of 4 percent that came on an analyst’s report that it could be a bids target for Philip Morris International after it separates from Altria in March.

The London equities markets were mixed on Monday as only 2.5 billion shares traded hands on the session. The FTSE 100 added 0.2 percent to 6,239.9, but the FTSE 250 dropped 0.1 percent to 11,104.

In the airlines sector, British Airways added 2.7 percent to 542p as investors were relieved that a threatened 2-day strike by cabin crew members had been avoided.

Tobacco did well ahead of results due later in the week from British American Tobacco. Citigroup said that BAT could return an estimated £1.5 billion to shareholders without harm to its credit rating. The figure was much higher than the £500 million it currently returns each year. BAT gained 2.8 percent to a record high share price of £15.60. Imperial Tobacco was 0.8 percent higher, to £21.24.

Publisher Yell Group gained 1.5 percent to 608p on positive comments from Merrill Lynch.

Pubs operator Mitchells & Butlers was 1 percent higher to 686½p on reaction to the news that financier Robert Tchenguiz has increased his holding in the company to almost 15 percent.

Brewer SABMiller dropped 1.1 percent to £11.70 as Goldman Sachs took it off it’s “buy” list on valuation concerns.

J. Sainsbury also fell 1.1 percent, to 432½p, as one shareholider placed 12 million shares with Morgan Stanley. The shares were priced at 432p each.