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.

London’ equities markets saw substantial declines again on Monday.

The FTSE 100 was 1.69 percent lower to 6,182.8 and the FTSE 250 dropped 1.91 percent to 10,745.3.

Northern Rock (LSE: NRK) was the biggest decliner on the 100 as it fell 35.45 percent to 282.75p, followed closely by Alliance & Leicester (LSE: AL) with a drop of 31.27 percent to 600p.

Over on the 250, mortgage lender Bradford & Bingley (LSE: BB) was 15.39 percent lower to 279p.

But the worst performer on the 250 was property developer Minerva (LSE: MNR), which was down 16.34 percent to 216.25. House builders fell on the 100.

Persimmon (LSE: PSN) dropped 6.89 percent to 946p, while Barratt Developments was 7.29 percent lower to 769p.

Pubs operator Enterprise Inns dropped 7.37 percent to 578p. Back on the 250, surgical supplies company Gyrus Group (LSE: GYG) was 8.08 percent lower to 398p.

The best performer of the session on the 250 was drug maker Hikma Pharmaceuticals (LSE: HIK) with a gain of 4.68 percent to 425p.

Northern Foods (LSE: NFDS) added 4 percent to 97.5p, while rail and bus transport firm Go-Ahead Group (LSE: GOG) was up 1.66 percent to £25.18.

Software maker Sage Group (LSE: SGE) had the best day on the 100, where it gained 2.77 percent to 250p.

Medical devices manufacturer Smith & Nephew (LSE: SN) added 0.7 percent to 572p, while in the telecommunications sector BT Group (LSE: BT.A; NYSE: BT) was 0.16 percent higher to 316.75p.

London’s equities markets were up significantly on Tuesday.

The FTSE 100 added 2.39 percent to 6,280.7, while the FTSE 250 gained 2.16 percent to 11,212.3.

There were only two losers on the 100.

Consumer electronics retailer DSG International (LSE: DSGI) dropped 0.2 percent to 146.9p.

Pest control and facilities services group Rentokil Initial (LSE: RTO; OTC: RTOKY) had the worst day on the 100 as it fell 0.52 percent to 170.9p.

Meanwhile, sports retailers had a bad day on the 250. Sports Direct (LSE: SPD) was 4.55 percent lower to 131p, while JJB Sports (LSE: SPD) had the worst day on the 250 with a decline of 14.20 percent to 172.25p on a profits warning.

There were gains in the retail sector, however.

Clothing retailer Next (LSE: NXT) added 4.25 percent to £19.40, while food retailer Tesco (LSE: TSCO) was up 4.39 percent to 433.5p.

In the mining sector, BHP Billiton (LSE: BLT; NYSE: BHP; ASX: BHP) gained 4.25 percent to £14.71.

The best performance on the 100 came from the banking sector, where Barclays Bank (LSE: BARC; NYSE: BCS; TYO: 8642) was 4.74 percent higher to 607.5p after it said it had a profitable month in August.

Electronics engineers Aveva Group (LSE: AVV) was the best performer on the 250 with a gain of 6.7 percent to 940p. Property developer Minerva (LSE: MNR) added 6.34 percent to 272.5p.

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 Wednesday the FTSE 100 added 1.35 percent to 6,393.9, while the FTSE 250 gained 1.96 percent to 11,455.

Electricity generators didn’t do very well on the session.

Drax Group (LSE: DRX) was down 1.89 percent to 649p, while British Energy Group (LSE: BGY) dropped 2.22 percent to 474.5p.

But engineering groups had the worst day on both the 100 and the 250.

On the 100 Smith’s Group (LSE: SMIN) fell 2.8 percent to £10.08 after it issued a flat profits outlook, blaming the US dollar on since it receives at least half of its revenues from the United States.

Meanwhile on the 250, construction engineers Keller Group (LSE: KLR) dropped 7.23 percent to 904p.

Property investment group Liberty International (LSE: LII) had the best day on the 100, adding 6.5 percent to £11.30, while SEGRO (LSE: SGRO) gained 5.9 percent to 565p.

On the 250, property investment group Minerva (LSE: MNR) was up 10.69 percent to 308p.

Unite Group (LSE: UTG), which builds, manages, and rents housing for students, was 9.4 percent higher to 419p.

Automobile insurer Admiral Group (LSE: ADM) had its best one-day advance since it began trading as it added 10.26 percent to 940p.

In financial services sectors, Alliance & Leicester (LSE: AL) was 6.03 percent higher to £11.07, while broker ICAP (LSE: IAP) gained 6.04 percent to 500p.

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.

In London, the FTSE 100 added 1.11 percent to 6,640.2, while the FTSE 250 gained 1.32 percent to 11,880.2.

Miner Antofagasta (LSE: ANTO) was the best performer on the 100, where it was 5.37 percent higher to 725.5p.

The sector was mixed, however.

While Vedanta Resources (LSE: VED) was also higher, adding 4.22 percent to £18.04, Aquarius Platinum (LSE: AQP; ASX: AQP; JSE: AQP) was had the worst day on the 250, falling 3.41 percent to £16.15.

Property investment company Shaftsbury (LSE: SHB) did the best on the session on the 250, adding 9.16 percent to 608p. In the same sector, Minerva (LSE: MNR) gained 6.71 percent to 330p.

Back on the 100, aerospace and defense group BAE Systems (LSE: BA; OTCBB: BASEY) was 4.79 percent higher to 421.25p on the news that its proposed acquisition of Armor Holdings (NYSE: AH), which makes military and law enforcement equipment, has been approved by US antitrust authorities.

Insurer Old Mutual (LSE: OML; JSE: OLOML) was 4.58 percent higher to 175.9p on the news that Nedbank (JSE: NED), a South African bank in which it holds the majority stake, is in talks with Standard Chartered concerning a takeover.

Standard Chartered (LSE: STAN; SEHK: 2888) was lower on the report, dropping 0.77 percent to £16.71.

Pubs operators were lower on the session after Mitchells and Butlers (LSE: MAB) had the worst day on the 100, dropping 3.25 percent to 863p after a broker downgrade from “hold” to “sell” and the setting of a target share price at 790p on a report of a possible property deal.

In the same sector, JD Wetherspoon (LSE: JDW) fell 1.29 percent to 611p.

British Energy (LSE: BGY) was 1.23 percent lower to 523p after its chairman said that the power generator’s nuclear power output last year was “disappointing”.

The London equities markets were slightly higher on Thursday on a slow trading day in which 2 billion shares traded hands. The FTSE 100 was 0.2 percent higher to 5,869, while the FTSE 250 gained even less, rising 0.1 percent to 9,459.9.

Among gainers on the day was Carphone Warehouse, which added 2.4 percent to 268¼p on an upgrade to “outperform” from Morgan Stanley on valuation issues. Also advancing on the day was beverage-can manufacturer Rexam, which added 7.5 percent to 549½p after its interim results were much better than rumor had suggested they would be. PayPoint, which operates electronic bill-pay terminals added 10.6 percent to 619½p on the strength of an upgrade from UBS on Wednesday.

Property developer Minerva added 5.1 percent to 280p, for one of the day’s best results on the 250, after an upgrade to “buy” from Merrill Lynch, based on an annual report that is anticipated to be positive. The report is due out next month.

Losers on the day included Rentokil Initial, down 4.7 percent to 152¼p after it warned that its largest division will not meet forecasts this year. William Morrison dropped 0.8 percent to 216p on a disappointing result in the TNS market share survey covering the four weeks that ended August 13.