London’s equities markets were higher on Thursday.

The FTSE 100 was up 1.45 percent to 6,576.3, while the FTSE 250 jumped 1.79 percent to 11,480.5. As in Europe, telecoms topped the gainers.

Vodafone (LSE: VOD; NYSE: VOD; FWB: VOD) added 6.45 percent to 189.7p after France Telecom (Euronext: FTE; NYSE: FTE) announced its better than anticipated results.

Retailers also saw gains.

Home Retail (LSE: HOME) was higher on the 100, up 5.03 percent to 412.75, while over on the 250 department store chain Debenhams (LSE: DEB) gained 6.9 percent to 112.25p.

Online gambler PartyGaming (LSE: PRTY) was the best performer on the 250, where it added 13.64 percent to 31.25p.

Insurers were mixed on the session, with Old Mutual (LSE: OML; JSE: OLOML) 5 percent higher to 178.6p but Standard Life (LSE: SLET) down 1.25 percent to 276.25p.

Other losers included house builder and property developer Barratt Developments (LSE: BDEV), which dropped 1.81 percent to 650p.

In the banking sector, Alliance & Leicester (LSE: AL) was down 2.99 percent to 729.5p.

Capita Group (LSE: CPI) had the worst day on the 100, falling 5.53 percent to 700p on the news that it will lose handling of London’s congestion charge to IBM (NYSE: IBM) beginning in 2009.

London’s markets saw gains as well, with the FTSE 100 adding 0.54 percent to 6,535.2 and the FTSE 250 was up 1.15 percent to 11,360.2.

Northern Rock (LSE: NRK) led the 100 with a gain of 11.95 percent to 151.8p on rumors that a US private equity group has arranged funding for a possible takeover.

Alliance & Leicester (LSE: AL) was also higher, adding 7.06 percent to 880p.

But the banking sector was not universally higher.

Merchant bank Close Brothers Group (LSE: CBG) was down 3.47 percent to 794p for the worst day on the 250.

The insurance sector was also mixed.

While Old Mutual (LSE: OML; JSE: OLOML) was up 4.74 percent to 168p, Royal Sun & Alliance (LSE: RSA) was 1.73 percent lower to 153.1p.

Other gainers included house builders Taylor Wimpey (LSE: TW), which added 4.16 percent to 300.75p, and pubs operator Punch Taverns (LSE: PUB) with a gain of 3.87 percent to £10.46.

PartyGaming (LSE: PRTY) was 7.83 percent higher to 31p to lead the 250 on the session.

The worst performance of the day on the 100 came from the telecommunications sector as Vodafone (LSE: VOD; NYSE: VOD; FWB: VOD) dropped 2.51 percent to 171.1p.

Elsewhere in the sector, Cable & Wireless (LSE: CW) was 1.65 percent lower to 185.2p.

Retailers had a difficult day of it.

Sporting goods retailer Sports Direct (LSE: SPD) fell 3.43 percent to 133.75, while Carphone Warehouse (LSE: CPW) was down 1.52 percent to 340.75p and Home Retail (LSE: HOME) was 2.27 percent lower to 398.25p.

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.

In London on Monday the FTSE 100 added 0.24 percent to 6,078.7 while the FTSE 250 was 0.16 percent higher to 10,703.8.

Power generators had a good day in London.

Drax Group (LSE: DRX) gained 1.9 percent to 634.5p, while electricity generator British Energy (LSE: BGY) was up 4.58 percent to 451.25p for the best performance on the 100.

Electricity transmitter Scottish & Southern Energy (LSE: SSE) was 1.7 percent higher to £14.44.

Miners also did well after metals prices advanced.

Rio Tinto (LSE: RIO) gained 3.22 percent to £30.78, while Kazakhmys (LSE: KAZ) added 4 percent to £11.70 and BHP Billiton (LSE: BLT; NYSE: BHP; ASX: BHP) was 4.17 percent higher to £12.75.

The aerospace sector was up with BAE Systems (LSE: BA; OTCBB; BAESY) 3.48 percent higher to 431p and Meggitt (LSE: MGGT) adding 4.73 percent to 298.75p.

The best performer on the 250 was care homes operator Southern Cross Healthcare (LSE: SCHE), which gained 6.93 percent to 470.5p.

Insurers were mixed.

Prudential (LSE: PRU; NYSE: PUK) was up 1.1 percent to 657.5p, but Old Mutual (LSE: OML; JSE: OLOML) dropped 2.16 percent to 149.4p.

Property developers and investors were lower on the session.

British Land (LSE: BLND) had the worst day on the 100 as it fell 3.46 percent to £11.98. SEGRO (LSE: SGRO) fell 2.66 percent to 513p, while Daejan Holdings dropped 4.86 percent on the 250 to £33.30.

Publisher Reed Elsevier (LSE: REL; Euronext: REN; NYSE: ENL; NYSE: RUK) dropped 2.61 to 578p.

In London on Friday the FTSE 100 was 1.21 percent lower to 6,224.3 and the FTSE 250 fell 0.42 percent to 11,185.8.

Insurers were mixed on the day.

Royal Sun & Alliance (LSE: RSA; OTC: RSA) was the best performer on the 100 as it added 1.71 percent to 131.2p after JP Morgan (NYSE: JPM; TYO: 8634).

Friends Provident (LSE: FP) was also higher, gaining 0.53 percent to 191.2p.

But Old Mutual (LSE: OML; JSE: OLOML) had the worst day on the 100, falling 4.73 percent to 155.1p while Standard Life (LSE: SLET) was also lower, dropping 3.32 percent to 305.75p after Panmure Gordon (LSE: DUC) cut its target share price from 370p to 346p.

Pubs operators also saw declines on the 100, with Whitbread (LSE: WTB) 3.34 percent lower to £15.35 and Punch Taverns (LSE: PUB) down 3.6 percent to £10.72.

Other gainers on the 100 included clothing retailer Next (LSE: NXT), which added 1.02 percent to £18.87.

Electricity generator International Power (LSE: IPR; NYSE: IPR) was 1.55 percent higher to 426p.

Engineering group Tomkins (LSE: TOMK; NYSE: TKS) had the best day on the 250, adding 7.44 percent to 249.25p on second quarter profits that were down less than had been expected and after Cazenove raised its recommendation from “underperform” to “in-line”.

In the electronics sector, Cookson Group (LSE: CKSN; OTC: CKSNY) gained 3.93 percent to 753.5p after Merrill Lynch (NYSE: MER; TYO: 8675) raised its target share price from 815p to 850p.

JKX Oil & Gas was the biggest loser on the 250 for the day, dropping 4.04 percent to 362.25p.

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.

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 FTSE 100 dropped 0.4 percent to 6,025.9 in London on Tuesday, ending lower for the sixth straight session and at its lowest level since the beginning of October. It has fallen 2.9 percent since its current decline began. On the other hand, the FTSE 250 was up slightly to 10,497.2.

Homebuilder Wilson Bowden was 3.7 percent higher on the session to £21.76 and Merrill Lynch raised its target share price to £24.50. Also helping the 250 was EMI; the music company added 10.4 percent to 289½p on the news that it has been approached.

The 100 was hurt by losses in the financial services sector, as Old Mutual dropped 5.8 percent to 166p on its third quarter earnings report.

Also seeing declines was ITV, which dropped 1.5 percent to 110¾p on the general opinion that the appointment of a new executive chairman makes any bids unlikely.

In the steel sector, Corus fell 0.3 percent to 498p on rumors that Tata Steel is thinking of increasing its bid. Meanwhile it put off a vote by shareholders to see if CSN of Brazil will up its offer.

Gainers on the session included tobacco company Gallaher, which added 1.7 percent to 952p on talk that Japan Tobacco might be interested. Also higher was yellow pages owner Yell, which was 2.3 percent higher to 570p on positive comments from Goldman Sachs.

London’s equities markets came back from Monday’s holiday to major losses. The FTSE 100 declined by 2.4 percent to 5,652.0 while the FTSE 250 lost 2.9 percent to 9,235.5.

Shares in companies that depend on the US dollar for a large part of their earnings were especially vulnerable as the greenback continued to weaken. Among those losers were asset manager Amvescap, which declined by 4.2 percent to 408p; plumbers Wolseley, down 5 percent to £12.02; and building materials group Hanson, which lost 5.6 percent to 642p.

The insurance sector also saw losses. Prudential was down 4.3 percent to 576½p, while Old Mutual declined by 4.9 percent to 163½p.

Miners were down on the day even though metals prices were relatively stable. Copper miner Kazakhmys had the worst of it, dropping 4.6 percent to £10.85.

Gainers on the day included airport operators BAA, which added 6.4 percent to 873p after it said it had rejected a 900p per share offer from Spanish construction company Grupo Ferrovial. Amid mid-cap gainers was EMI Group, which was up 1.3 percent to 273¼p on rumors that US music group Warner Music might bid for the UK music company. In addition, Morgan Stanley upgraded EMI from “underweight” to “equalweight”.