London’s markets were lower again on Friday.

The FTSE 100 dropped 1.23 percent to 6,527.9 while FTSE 250 fell 0.98 percent to 11,299.3.

Insurer Resolution (LSE: RSL) had the best day on the 100 as it gained 2.12 percnet to 722p.

Housebuilders and the construction sector more generally were higher on both the 100 and the 250.

Persimmon (LSE: PSN) was up 1.15 percent to 971p and Barratt Developments (LSE: BDEV) was 1.29 percent higher to 667p on the 100, while over on the 250 house builder Redrow (LSE: RDW) gained 3.03 percent to 383p and construction group Alfred McAlpine (LSE: MCA) added 3.54 percent to 555p.

Other gainers included paper group DS Smith (LSE: SMPS), which was up 5.31 percent to 228p on the 250.

Brewer Scottish & Newcastle (LSE: SCTN) was 1.19 percent higher to 766.5p on the 100.

Banks were lower, with Northern Rock (LSE: NRK) again leading the losers on the 100 with a decline of 8.61 percent to 186.9p.

Elsewhere in the sector, HBOS (LSE: HBOS) dropped 2.91 percent to 835p.

In the pharmaceuticals sector Astra Zeneca (LSE: AZN; NYSE: AZN) was down 3.64 percent to £24.61 after the revocation of an inhaler patent by European authorities and a downgrade from “neutral” to “sell” by UBS.

Advertising group WPP (LSE: WPP; NAS: WPPGY) fell 4.18 percent to 665p after it reported quarterly revenues that were at the low end of expectations.

London’s markets joined the global market slide on Friday as the FTSE 100 fell 3.71 percent to 6,038.3 and the FTSE 250 was down 2.88 percent to 10,889.5.

Again, financial services groups ended up lower on the day. Northern Rock (LSE: NRK) led the decliners on the 100 as it dropped 9.57 percent to 713.5p, while investment managers Rathbone Brothers (LSE: RAT) was the worst performer on the 250 with a decline of 12.02 percent to £11.57.

Insurer Resolution (LSE: RSL) fell 6.71 percent to 626p, while special risks insurer Beazley Group (LSE: BEZ) was 7.98 percent lower to 150p.

Hedge fund Man Group (LSE: EMG) was down 0.06 percent to 479.25p, while asset managers Henderson Group (LSE: HGI; ASX: HGI) dropped 9.43 percent to 139.25p.

Among gainers, Avis Europe (LSE: AVE) led the 250 with a gain of 15.91 percent to 51p, while cruise operator Carnival (LSE: CCL; NYSE: CCL; NYSEL CUK) was the best performer on the 100 as it added 0.54 percent to £22.44.

Food processors did well on the 100.

Tate & Lyle was up 0.18 percent to 549p, while Associated British Foods (LSE: ABF) gained 0.3 percent to 844p.

The oil sector did well on the 250.

Oil refiner and distributor Hunting (LSE: HTG) was 3.36 percent higher to 707.5p, while JKX Oil & Gas (LSE: JKX) was up 13.48 percent to 360p.

The London equities markets fell significantly on Thursday.

The FTSE 100 was 3.15 percent lower on the session, to 6,251.2, while the FTSE 250 dropped 3.35 percent to 11,033.4.

Insurers were in focus, as companies in the sector provided both the best and worst performances on the 100.

On the winning side, Resolution (LSE: REL) added 2.84 percent to 633.5p, while Legal & General (LSE: LGEN) fell 8.24 percent to 138.1p.

The decline for Legal & General came after it reported that margins had fallen to 3.6 percent and that its non-life unit had lost £38 million on household claims due to flooding.

L&G also disappointed when it announced a share buyback program worth £1 billion, much less than had been anticipated by analysts.

Also in the insurance sector, Friends Provident was down 6.65 percent to 181.2p as UBS (NYSE: UBS; SWX: UBSN; TYO: 8657) cut its recommendation from “buy” to “neutral”.

Other sectors seeing declines on the 100 included hotels operators, as Intercontinental Hotels (LSE: IHG; NYSE: IHG) fell 7.34 percent to £11.11.

In the telecommunications sector, Vodafone (LSE: VOD; NYSE: VOD; FWB: VOD) dropped 7.23 percent to 145p.

Airplane engine manufacturer Rolls Royce (LSE: RR) fell 6.46 percent to 496.25p after it reported that profits in the first half were down by 51 percent, affected by the weakness of the US dollar.

The biggest loser on the 250 was retailer GAME group (LSE: EBQ), with a drop of 7.22 percent to 176.75p.

London equities markets were mixed on Monday. The FTSE 100 was 0.2 percent lower to 6,194.2 as dropping metals prices sent the UK mining sector lower. Meanwhile, the FTSE 250 was 0.5 percent higher, closing at 10,712.8. It was the fifth session in a row that the 250 has done better than the 100.

Homebuilders were mixed on the session. Berkeley Group added 6.8 percent to reach a new high of £17.02 on rumors that a consortium had bid for peer Crest Nicholson. The gain brought Berkeley’s advance over six sessions to 19 percent. Crest Nicholson, on the other hand, was 0.1 percent lower to 615p even though it was believed that its institutional shareholders will wait for a higher offer.

The insurance sector was higher, mainly on Resolution’s announcement that it is discussing deals with several other insurers. The life assurer added 5.1 percent to 667½p. Different analysts suggested different deals, including one with Scottish Widows the life assurance division of Lloyds TSB, with the UK life division of Prudential, or with Friends Provident. The talk sent Lloyds TSB up 1 percent to 561p, while Friends Provident added 1.3 percent to 214½p and Prudential gained 2.1 percent to 651½p.

In the mining sector Rio Tinto was 4 percent lower to £27.65, while Xstrata dropped 4.5 percent to £21.92, Kazakhmys fell 5 percent to £11.40 on lower copper prices, and Antofagasta was 5.3 percent lower to 468¼p.