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.

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.

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.

Markets in London were lower as well, with the FTSE 100 down 1.21 percent to 6,143.5 and the FTSE 250 at 10,998.6, a decline of 1.52 percent.

Food retailer Wm Morrison (LSE: MRW) was 2.8 percent lower to 258.5p after it removed sliced cold meats from two stores in Scotland after an outbreak of E. coli that resulted in one death.

Miners were mixed on the day.

Lonmin (LSE: LMI) led gainers on the 100 as it added 1.7 percent to £31.14, but Rio Tinto (LSE: RIO) fell 1.4 percent to £31.75 and BHP Billiton (LSE: BLT; NYSE: BHP; ASX: BHP) was 3.71 percent lower to £12.98.

The worst performance on the 100 came from publisher Yell Group (LSE: YELL), which was down 3.81 percent to 454.4p.

Beverage can maker Rexam (LSE: REX) dropped 3.54 percent to 504.5p, while chemicals group Johnson Matthey fell 3.73 percent to £16.27.

Two other individuals were reported to be in hospital.

Decliners on the 250 included property developer Daejan Holdings (LSE: DJAN), which was down 5.56 percent to £34.00.

Construction firm Kier Group (LSE: KIE) had the worst day on the 250, with a decline of 6.15 percent to £18.76.

British Airways was 0.5 percent higher on the 100 to 403p.

Human resources specialist Capita Group (LSE: CPI) added 0.75 percent to 739p, while in the telecommunications sector BT Group (LSE: BT.A; NYSE: BT) gained 0.81 percent to 310.5p.

Brewer Scottish & Newcastle (LSE: SCTN) was 1.31 percent higher to 580p on the possibility that it could be acquired by Danish brewer Carlsberg (OMX: CARL A, CARL B), which has been reported to have said it is in the market to purchase another beer maker.

Neither Carlsberg nor Scottish & Newcastle would comment on the reports.

The London equities markets saw advances on Thursday, helped out by the drinks sector and the announcement that Reed Elsevier will sell one of its divisions. The FTSE 100 added 0.19 percent to 6,433.3, while the FTSE 250 gained 0.29 percent to 11,574.60.

The drinks sector was helped out by Diageo, which posted higher half-year earnings even though there were challenges in some markets and a weakening of the dollar. The maker of Johnnie Walker whisky added 2.35 percent to on the day. Brewers were also boosted by a report that InBev is talking with US company Anheuser-Busch about a merger deal. SABMiller gained 1.9 percent to £11.98, while Scottish & Newcastle was 2.3 percent higher to 579p. S&N also benefited from rumors that it could be talking with Carlsberg about a deal.

Reed Elsevier added 6.6 percent to 644½p after it said it will sell its education publishing unit. The gain came even though its full-year report on earnings and revenue was below what had been anticipated.

Defense contractor BAE Systems was 2.5 percent higher to 454p ahead of a report due next week, after Credit Suisse upped its target share price from 465p to 500p.

Plumber Wolseley was hurt after Merrill Lynch removed it from its “buy” list, dropping 2.3 percent to £13.75.

The London equities markets were higher again on Tuesday, with the FTSE 100 gaining 0.3 percent to 5,851.2 and the FTSE 250 also up 0.3 percent to 9,248.5. Volume was up from Monday, with 2.6 billion shares changing hands during the session.

Boots Group and Alliance UniChem were each 2.1 percent higher, to 766p and £10.18 respectively. The gains came ahead of Monday’s scheduled completion of a merger between the two companies. JP Morgan issued a positive comment.

Brewer Scottish & Newcastle was up 2.4 percent to 533½p ahead of an expected positive half-year report due next month.

British Airways added 3 percent to 384¼p, a five-year high, as oil prices fell and in anticipation of positive earnings news next month. Morgan Stanley upped its target share price on BA to 480p and said that revenue growth predictions will have to be increased by at least 7 percent after the air carrier releases its next report on August 4.

In the pharmaceutical sector, Shire gained 2.9 percent to 852½p on the news that it has gained permission to sell its treatment for Hunter syndrome in the United States.

Cadbury Schweppes, which issues its half-year report on August 2, dropped 1.4 percent to 515p on rumors that it will issue a profits warning. The talk was based at least partly on ABN Amro’s lowered forecast, in which it cited rising costs and a recent salmonella problem in explaining its position.

Among small caps, Central African Mining & Exploration Company (Camec) was up 3.5 percent to 59p. Credit Suisse initiated coverage on Camec with an “overweight” rating and a target share price of 100p. Camec is starting to mine copper and cobalt in the Democratic Republic of Congo.

In London on Wednesday, the London equities markets continued to rally, with the FTSE 100 closing up 0.7 percent to 6,044.1, it’s highest close since February 2001. The FTSE 250, meanwhile, ended the day up 0.4 percent to 9,935.0, its highest close ever.

The telecommunications sector saw gains, with Vodafone up 1.5 percent to 190¼p as rumors continued to circulate that the company has nearly closed a deal with Verizon Communications to sell its shares in Verizon Wireless. Verizon discounted the speculation. Elsewhere in the sector, Cable & Wireless added 0.5 percent to 107¼p.

In the mining sector, Xstrata added 2.5 percent to £19.88 as it was reported that Campanhia Vale do Rio Doce, the largest mining company in the Americas, wanted to make a deal for the company. Another company said to be interested in Xstrata, Anglo American, gained 2 percent to £23.74. Merrill Lynch upgrades helped other miners. Rio Tinto was up 3 percent to £31.35, while BHP Billiton added 2.2 percent to £11.47. Still in the metals mining area, Johnson Matthey was up 2.4 percent to £14.40 on an upgrade from Citigroup. Aquarius Platinum advanced by 6.7 percent to 865p and Lonmin gained 2.9 percent to £28.02.

In the oil sector, BP added 1.6 percent to 675p.

Brewer Scottish & Newcastle was up 5.2 percent to 544p as rumors had several rivals considering takeover bids. One of the companies said to be interested is SAB Miller, which was down 0.9 percent on the day to £11.34.

The London equities markets were down on Tuesday, with the FTSE 100 losing 0.6 percent to 5,935.7 and the FTSE 250 down 0.4 percent to 9,816.1 on a volume of 3.8 billion shares traded. The declines did not seem to bother traders very much, however, as they put off much of the losses to simple profit-taking.

In the telecommunications sector, Vodafone lost 4 percent to 119½p after the European Commission said it would cut international roaming charges.

Rising crude oil prices sent BP’s shares up by 0.6 percent to 663p, while Royal Dutch Shell gained 0.5 percent to £18.44. Meanwhile, Dana Petroleum added 7.5 percent to £10.85 after it said it was on its way to increasing its production capacity to the equivalent of 40,000 barrels of oil per day by the end of next year.

Brewer Scottish and Newcastle gained 0.2 percent to 545p on rumors that it was being targeted for a takeover.

In the mining sector, Kazakhmys added 1 percent to 962p in anticipation of its full-year earnings report, due Thurdsay, and on a reiteration of Credit Suisse’s “outperform” rating. Elsewhere in the sector, Anglo American was down 0.2 perent to £21.42 on the news that its chief executive had sold 33,879 shares in the company.

Standard Chartered was down 2.8 percent to £14.82 on news that Temasek, Singapore’s state-owned investment company had purchased the 11.6 percent stake in the company from the Khoo family, which had held the shares for years. Also in the banking sector, Royal Bank of Scotland lost 0.2 percent to £18.40, partly because the Khoo family’s Standard Chartered shares were off the table as a purchase target.