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.

In London on Thursday the FTSE 100 added 0.83 percent to 6,486.4 and the FTSE 250 was up 1.38 percent to 11,039.5.

Banks were higher on the 100.

HBOS (LSE: HBOS) gained 4.93 percent to 916p, while Northern Rock (LSE: NRK) was 6.32 percent higher to 193.5p.

Alliance & Leicester (LSE: AL) had the best day on the blue chip index as it added 8.46 percent to 795p.

Insurer Standard Life (LSE: SLET) was also higher, gaining 5.91 percent to 291.25p.

House builder Taylor Wimpey (LSE: TW) jumped 6.59 percent to 275p.

Over on the 250, online gambler PartyGaming (LSE: PRTY) put in the best performance as it added 7.41 percent to 29p.

Commodity-related sectors didn’t have as good a day.

Among miners, Aquarius Platinum (LSE: AQP; ASX: AQP; JSE: AQP) had the worst day on the 250 with a decline of 7.09 percent to £17.31.

Over on the 100, Vedanta Resources (LSE: VED) fell 2.47 percent to £20.57 and Kazakhmys (LSE: KAZ) was down 1.69 percent to £14.55.

In the oil sector, Tullow Oil (LSE: TLW; OTC: TUWLY) was 1.93 percent lower to 585p.

JKX Oil & Gas (LSE: JKX) dropped 3.34 percent to 333p.

Caterer Compass Group (LSE: CPG) had the worst day on the 100, where it fell 2.97 percent to 310.75p.

London’s markets were higher Wednesday, with the FTSE adding 0.41 percent to 6,306.2 and the FTSE 250 gaining 0.07 percent to 11,219.7.

Aerospace and defense group BAE Systems (LSE: BA) had the best day on the 100, adding 3.18 percent to 478.25p, while engineering and construction firm AMEC (LSE: AMEC) was the best performer on the 250 with a gain of 4.5 percent to 731.5p.

The chemicals sector was higher.

Johnson Matthey (LSE: JMAT) was up 2.3 percent to £16.03, while Reckitt Benckiser (LSE: RB) added 2.74 percent to £27.39.

British American Tobacco (LSE: BATS; AMEX: BTI; KLSE: BAT) gained 2.57 to £16.79, which consumer goods retailer Home Retail (LSE: HOME) was up 2.5 percent to 410.75p.

Carphone Warehouse (LSE: CPW) added 3.38 percent to 352p on the news that it will jump from the 250 to the 100 beginning on September 24.

Tullow Oil (LSE: TLW) and Taylor Wimpey (LSE: TW) will also reportedly be promoted to the 100. Insurers saw declines on the day.

Standard Life (LSE: SLET) fell 1.2 percent to 288.75p, while Legal & General (LSE: LGEN) was the worst performer on the 100 with a drop of 2.27 percent to 133.4p.

Pest control group Rentokil Initial (LSE: RTO; OTC: RTOKY) was 1.29 percent lower to 168.7p, while media group ITV fell 1.51 percent to 111p after it said it would sell assets and cut jobs to increase core output.

Brewer SAB Miller (LSE: SAB) was down 1.7 percent to £13.28.

The biggest loser on the 250 was International Personal Finance (LSE: IPF), with a decline of 4.78 percent to 224.25.

In London on Wednesday, the FTSE 100 was up 0.49 percent to 6,132.2 and the FTSE 250 added 0.91 percent to 10,891.9.

Hotels and restaurants operator Whitbread (LSE: WTB) had the best day on the 100 as it added 3.47 percent to £16.12.

The gains came on news that revenues were up 6.6 percent in the six months ending 16 August and were 8 percent higher in its fiscal second quarter.

Water utilities were right behind. Severn Trent (LSE: SVT) was 2.84 percent higher to £13.42, while Kelda Group (LSE: KEL) added 3.15 percent to 852p.

Insurers were mixed, however, with Standard Life (LSE: SLET) up 2.11 percent to 290p but Aviva (LSE: AV) down 0.99 percent to 698p.

Property developers and house builders were down on the session. Barratt Developments (LSE: BDEV) fell 0.66 percent to 905p, while Persimmon dropped 0.77 percent to £11.55.

Beverage can manufacturer Rexam (LSE: REX), down 1.35 percent to 511p had the worst day on the 100.

The worst performer on the 250 was in the financial services sector, where Bluebay (LSE: BBAY) was 4.76 percent lower to 395p.

PartyGaming (LSE: PRTY) had the best day on the 250, where it gained 23.08 percent to 28p after a more than 7 percent decline Tuesday.

London’s markets were also higher on the session.

The FTSE 100 added 3.5 percent to 6,064.2, while the FTSE 250 was 2.14 percent higher to 10,686.2.

As on the continent, banks saw gains.

Standard Chartered (LSE: STAN; SEHK: 2888) was the best performer on the 100 as it added 8.03 percent to £15.60, while Northern Rock (LSE: NRK) was right behind with a gain of 7.66 percent to 709.5p.

Insurers were also higher, with Standard Life (LSE: SLET) up 7.01 percent to 305.5p.

Broker ICAP (LSE: IAP) was 6.48 percent higher to 484.5p.

Miners also saw gains.

Rio Tinto (LSE: RIO) gained 1.8 percent to £29.82, while BHP Billiton (LSE: BLT; NSYE; BHP; ASX: BHP) added 3.5 percent to £12.24 and Lonmin (LSE: LMI) was 6.52 percent higher to £29.74.

In the pharmaceuticals sector, AstraZeneca (LSE: AZN; NYSE: AZN) was up 2.55 percent to £23.36 while GlaxoSmithKline (LSE: GSK; NYSE: GSK) gained 3.33 percent to £12.71.

Oil and gas services group Petrofac (LSE: PFC) had the best day on the 250, where it added 7.72 percent to 418.5p, while the biggest loser there was asset manager Henderson Group (LSE: HGI; ASX: HGI) at a drop of 2.9 percent to 125.5p.

There were only two losers on the 100 on the session. Imperial Chemical Industries (LSE: ICI) dropped 0.16 percent to 616p, while retailer Tesco (LSE: TSCO) was down 0.12 percent to 403.5p.

The markets in London also saw declines as the FTSE 100 fell 1.92 percent to 6,271.2 and the FTSE 250 was 2 percent lower to 11,225.5.

Shares in the financial services sector did not do very well for the most part on the 100.

Venture capital and private equity group 3i Group (LSE: III) was 5.8 percent lower to £10.56, while insurer Standard Life (LSE: SLET) fell 6.52 percent to 318.75p and hedge fund Man Group (LSE: EMG) was down 6.73 percent to 527p.

Not all in the financial services sector saw declines however.

Alliance & Leicester (LSE: AL) added 1.17 percent to £11.20 and insurer Benfield Group (LSE: BFD) gained 4.95 percent to 339p.

Insurance broker and risk management advisor Jardine Lloyd Thompson Group (LSE: JLT) had the best day on the 100 as it added 4.95 percent to 425p.

The best performer on the 250 was BSkyB (LSE: BSY), which gained 2.58 percent to 694.4p.

Other gainers included power transmitter National Grid (LSE: NG), which was 2.09 percent higher to 731.5p.

Chemicals group Reckitt Benckiser (LSE: RB) was up 1.5 percent to £27.74.

Defense contractor BAE Systems (LSE: BA; OTCBB: BAESY) added 0.9 percent to 440.25p after it said that first half profits were up a better-than-anticipated 27 percent on upgrades to its Bradley fighting vehicles for use by the US in Iraq and on the production of jet parts.

The biggest loser on the day on the 100 was miner Kazakhmys (LSE: KAZ), which was down 6.79 percent to £11.25.

In the pharmaceuticals sector, AstraZeneca (LSE: AZN; NYSE: AZN) dropped 3.5 percent to £24.30 on a safety review of its acid reflux drugs Nexium and Prilosec after two studies linked them to heart problems.

However, the Food and Drug Administration said that it had concluded on a preliminary basis that there is no increased risk to patients taking the drugs.

In London on Monday, the FTSE 100 was 0.57 percent lower to 6,189.1 and the FTSE 250 fell 1.67 percent to 10,998.8.

Standard Life (LSE: SLET) was the biggest gainer on the 100, adding 3.03 percent to 315p on consolidation hopes within the sector.

Builder Alfred McAlpine (LSE: MCA) did the best on the 250 with a gain of 4.7 percent to 484.5p.

Other gainers on the session included the house building sector, where Persimmon (LSE: PSN) was up 1.93 percent to £11.64 and Taylor Wimpey (LSE: TW) added 2.18 percent to 339.75p.

British American Tobacco (LSE: BATS; AMEX: BTI; KLSE: BAT) was 2.4 percent higher to £16.12, while music retailer HMV Group (LSE: HMV) gained 4.7 percent to 118.25p.

The biggest loser on the day on the 100 was platinum miner Lonmin (LSE: LMI), which fell 4.81 percent to £30.85.

Aquarius Platinum (LSE: LSE: AQP; ASX:AQP; JSE:AQP) did even worse on the 250, dropping 5.56 percent to £12.90.

Elsewhere in the mining sector BHP Billiton (LSE: BLT; NYSE: BHP; ASX: BHP) dropped 2.98 percent to £13.33, while Kazakhmys (LSE: KAZ) fell 2.93 percent to £11.94, Anglo American (LSE: AAL) was 2.68 percent lower to £26.85 and Rio Tinto (LSE: RIO) was down 1.33 percent to £32.19.

Investment trust Ashmore (LSE: ASHM) did the worst on the 250, falling 8 percent to 204p.

Other decliners on the session included supermarket chain Wm Morrison (LSE: MRW), which dropped 3.6 percent to 274.25p.

Pubs operator Punch Taverns (LSE: PUB) fell 3.36 percent to £10.36 and investment management group INVESCO (LSE: AVZ; NYSE: IVZ) was 3.15 percent lower to 585p on its exposure to the US housing sector.

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.

There were substantial gains in London on Tuesday, where the FTSE 100 added 2.48 percent to 6,360.1 and the FTSE 250 was 2.26 percent higher to 11,321.9.

Insurer Standard Life (LSE: SLET) had the best day on the 100 as it added 6.38 percent to 308.5p, while Friends Provident (LSE: FP) was right behind with a gain of 5.97 percent to 187p.

Miners were also higher on the 100, with Vedanta Resources (LSE: VED) up 4.17 percent to £17.89 as Anglo American (LSE: AAL) added 5.18 percent to £29.04 as metals prices were on the rise.

Caterer Compass Group (LSE: CPG) was 5.28 percent higher to 334p.

Meanwhile, easyJet (LSE: EZJ) had the best day on the 250, adding 12.91 percent to 511.5p as Goldman Sachs (NYSE: GS) added the discount airline to its “conviction buy” list.

Other big gainers on the 250 included oil equipment manufacturer Rotork (LSE: ROR), which was 12.87 percent higher to £10.35.

Home builder Taylor Wimpey (LSE: TW) was up 9.83 percent to 330.25 on first half profits that were better than had been anticipated.

The biggest loss on the 250 came for retail bakery chain Greggs (LSE: GRG), which dropped 3.41 percent to £49.10.

The worst performer on the 100 was chemicals group Reckitt Benckiser (LSE: RB), down 0.41 percent to €26.52.

The only other decliner on the 100 was property investor Liberty International (LSE: LII), which dropped 0.29 percent to £10.38.

The London equities markets were lower on Monday, with the FTSE 100 dropping 0.5 percent to 6,126.8 and the FTSE 250 falling 0.4 percent to 10,308.6.

In the pharmaceuticals sector, Shire dropped 2.8 percent on the session to 940p on profit-taking. Shire is up 45 percent on the year so far.

Wolfson Microelectronics dropped 3.9 percent to 292¼p after McCall, Aitken, McKenzie, a new broker, advised its clients to sell after Wolfson’s rally last week. Elsewhere in the semiconductors sector, ARM Holdings fell 3.5 percent to 109p in anticipation of its third quarter report, due later in the day.

Insurers were higher. Aviva added 0.2 percent to 771p and Prudential, which rebuffed an Aviva bid earlier in the year, gained 1.7 percent to 641p on analyst sentiment that it remains vulnerable to a bid after recent weak data. Many believe that Aviva is still interested. Elsewhere, Standard Life gained 1.6 percent to 287½p on media reports that Axa of France could be interested in bidding for the life assurer, even though analysts were not convinced.

Hanson added 2.3 percent to 727½p on ABN Amro’s repeat of its “buy” rating and £10.60 target share price. The building materials group had dropped 4.4 percent on Friday.