London equities markets were lower again on Thursday as the FTSE 100 was down 1.2 percent to 5,858.1, brining its points loss to 123.6 in two days. The FTSE 250 dropped 1.3 percent to 9,576.1.

A good portion of the losses on the 250 were due to declines in the engineering sector. Bodycote International dropped 4.6 percent to 222¼p, while Invensys fell 4.7 percent to 190p and FKI was 5.9 percent lower to 91¼p. all these declines were triggered by a profits warning from automobile and construction group Tomkins, down 14.7 percent to 241¼p.

Plumbing and building materials group Wolseley dropped 3 percent to £11.15, hurt by a profits warning issued by US homebuilder KB Home.

Online gambler PartyGaming was 9.8 percent lower to 105¾p on the news that the chairman of Sportingbet had been detained by authorities in New York. Sportingbet trade is still suspended at 239p.

Among gainers on the day were Scottish & Southern Energy, up 1.2 percent to £12.30, after an upgrade to “buy” from Citigroup, which set a target share price of £13.50 for the utility. Among the reasons cited for the upgrade was the belief that Scottish & Southern’s decision not to set higher gas prices will pay off soon.

Equities markets in London were mixed on Thursday, with the FTSE 100 dropping 0.1 percent to 5,770.9 but the FTSE 250 up by 22.8 points to 9,207.2.

The aerospace sector managed gains on the day. Ultra Electronics, which supplies targeting systems for fighter aircraft, added 15.1 percent to £11 on bids rumors. BAE Systems was up by 1.8 percent to 347¼p, while Rolls Royce advanced by 1.1 percent to 411¼p.

Airlines also saw their shares advance. British Airways was up 3 percent to 368¼p on anticipation of broker upgrades after it reports its quarterly figures next month and as oil prices declined. Meanwhile, EasyJet gained 4.7 percent to 436½p.

BSkyB advanced by 2.5 percent to 544¼p, after its chief executive presented information on its new broadband business to Deutsche Bank.

The internet gaming sector did not fare as well. SportingBet dropped 3 percent to 174¾p, while PartyGaming was 7.4 percent lower to 87¼p and 888 Holdings fell 9.4 percent to 161p, all on concerns that US shareholders will sell their holdings now that the US Department of Justice is taking measures against gambling on the internet.

Other big losers included MFI Furniture, which was down 20 percent to 85p, and Colt Telecom, 23.3 percent lower to 436½p.

Both the FTSE 100 and the FTSE 250 were lower in London on Tuesday as the online gaming sector saw further losses. Also affecting investor sentiment was a report that inflation in the UK was up more than had been expected, which could in turn lead to a hike in interest rates from the Bank of England.

The 100 was 0.3 percent lower on the session to 5,681.7, bringing its losses to 3 percent in the past four days. Meanwhile, the 250 dropped 0.5 percent to 8,968.8.

The utilities sector had a good day, however. Kelda Group gained 4.2 percent to 844p on bids rumors. Kelda has added 7.1 percent in three sessions. Severn Trent was up 2.2 percent to £12.21, while Pennon Group advanced by 2.1 percent to £13.99. United Utilities added 1.7 percent to 637p on an upgrade to “buy” from Dresdner Kleinwort. Scottish & Southern was up 1.6 percent to £11.66.

Also seeing an advance was British American Tobacco, up 1.5 percent to £13.70 on a “buy” recommendation from JP Morgan.

BSkyB was down 4.3 percent to 517½p as investors worried about the satellite broadcaster’s plan to spend £400 million on its new broadband offering.

The online gaming sector was hit hard by the news that a grand jury in the United States had field charges against BetOnSports. Traing in BetOnSports shares was suspended at 122½p. 888 Holdings dropped 12.7 percent to 168½p, while PartyGaming fell 17.2 percent to 85¼p, SportingBet declined 35.5 percent to 182p, and World Gaming was down 38 percent to 69½p.

The London equities markets were lower on Monday, primarily due to declines in the mining sector. The losses were tempered somewhat late in the day, following a rally in the New York markets. The FTSE 100 ended up just 0.12 percent lower at 5,701, while the FTSE 250 was down 0.65 percent to 9,017.1. Volume was again low, with only 2.4 billion shares traded.

Another sector that saw substantial losses was online gaming. 888 Holdings was down 3.5 percent to 193. PartyGaming dropped 5.5 percent to 103p, while SportingBet fell 13 percent to 282p and BetOnSports declined by 15.6 percent to 122½p. A major reason for the declines in this sector was the detention by US authorities of David Carruthers, chief executive of BetOnSports.

Among miners, BHP Billiton was down 1 percent to £10.10, while Rio Tinto dropped 1.8 percent to £26.76. Anglo American fell 1.3 percent to £12.07 on a steep drop in the price of gold. A similar decline in the price of copper sent Kazakhmys 2.9 percent lower to £11.56 and Antofagasta was down 3.3 percent to 405p. Copper prices dropped when a six-week strike by mine workers in Mexico was ended. Xstrata was 3.7 percent lower to £19.86 as investors worried that it might submit a higher bid for Falconbridge, the Canadian nickel producer.

Elsewhere, BSkyB added 1.5 percent to 541p on a reiteration UBS “buy” recommendation as the pay-TV operator readied the launch of internet broadband.

In London on Wednesday, declines in the oil sector and online gaming, as well as a weak start to the trading day in New York all combined to send the FTSE 100 and FTSE 250 down on the day. The 100 was down by 1.2 percent to 6,010, while the 250 was off by 0.3 percent to 9,896.3.

The news that a bill prohibiting online gambling in the US had gone before a congressional subcommittee sent shares in UK online gaming companies down on the day. PartyGaming dropped 4.5 percent to 148p, while Sportingbet lost 4.6 percent to 402p and 888 Holdings was down by 5.8 percent to 230½p. Even though many analysts believe that the legislation will survive the committee, most do not believe it will be approved when the full House of Representatives votes on it, most likely in June.

Falling crude oil prices sent BG Group down 2.3 percent to 745½p. BP lost 1.6 percent to 677p, and Cairn Energy dropped 0.6 percent to £24.33.

Miner Kazakhmys dropped 3.8 percent to £11.49 on disappointing production levels in the first quarter.

Gainers on the day included Northern Rock. The bank added 2.4 percent to £10.96 on an upgrade to “buy” from Deutsche Bank. Meanwhile, pubs operator Mitchells & Butlers, which added 7 percent to 516p on hopes of an offer by financier Robert Tchenguiz, and computer games company SCi Entertainment gained 4.3 percent to 537p on hopes that its new game will be a hit.

The London equities markets ended lower on the day Thursday on sell-offs in the mining sector and declines in oil as crude prices fell. The FTSE 100 was down 0.73 percent to 6,060 and the FTSE 250 dropped 0.72 percent to 9,925.6.

Some of the biggest gainers on the day were in the online gaming sector. The advances came after the American Gaming Association recommended that the US Congress undertake a one-year study to determine whether it would be better to legalize and regulate online gambling rather than to try and outlaw it. The significance of the recommendation, according to some analysts, is that this was the first indication that the AGA would support online gaming.

BetOnSpsorts was up 5.2 percent to 169p, PartyGaming added 4.6 percent to 152¾p, 888 Holdings gained 2.95 percent to 244p, and Sportingbet rose by 2.4 percent to 431p.

In the banking sector, Lloyds TSB was up 0.2 percent to 533p after ABN Amro reiterated its “trading buy” recommendation on the bank, saying that the same factors that allowed it to add 9 percent to revenues in the last half of last year were still operative presently.

Miners lost ground on the news that China had increased interest rates. Antofagasta dropped 4.4 percent to £23.58, while Anglo-American was down 3.4 percent to £23.34 and Xstrata declined by 3.2 percent to £20.15.

In the oil sector, meanwhile, Royal Dutch Shell’s B shares were down 2.2 percent to £19.93, BP dropped 2 percent to 683½p, and Cairn Energy was off 1.5 percent to £23.57. Besides the decline in crude oil prices, the news from China on interest rates was also a factor in the sector’s retreat.

London equities markets were in record territory again on Thursday as the FTSE 100 established another five-year high when it closed up slightly to 6,045.7 and the FTSE 250 added 0.2 percent to end at another all-time high. Volume was at 3.6 billion shares traded.

Utilities ere up after Deutsche Bank issued positive comments on British Energy, which gained 2.4 percent to 694p. National Grid gained 1.1 percent to 578½p, while International Power added 1.3 percent to 291¾p.

Deutsche Bank also helped Corus with an upgraded recommendation, from “hold” to “buy” and a target share price increase from 80p to 100p. The steel maker added 2.6 percent to 89¼p. In other metals, high prices helped copper miner Kazakhmys add 3.1 percent to £12.69. Platinum company Johnson Matthey advanced by 4.9 percent to £15.10.

The banking sector was mixed on bid news. Decreasing talk of an offer took Allaince & Leicester down 2.8 percent to £11.61, but Barclays was up 1.2 percent to 686p on new rumors that Citigroup is considering a bid.

Vodafone added 0.6 percent to 124½p on speculation that the mobile phone group was thinking about entering the fixed line telecommunications market.

In the insurance sector, Prudential gained 4 percent to 677 ½ p on talk that Axa might make a bid. Analysts were mixed on exactly how serious the rumors were, with some saying that some investors could gain on the mere speculation that an offer might be forthcoming.

The online gaming sector was up after indications that efforts in the US to make gambling online illegal were not gathering a great deal of support. PartyGaming added 10 percent to 142½p, while 888 Holdings gained 8.6 percent to 240p and Sportingbet was up 10.6 percent to 421p.