Equities were down in London Wednesday, with the FTSE 100 down 0.49 percent to 6,482 and the FTSE 250 falling 0.71 percent to 11,278.5.

The pharmaceuticals sector saw losses.

GlaxoSmithKline (LSE: GSK; NYSE: GSK) dropped 0.9 percent to £12.49 after it reported that profits were down 5.8 percent in the third quarter on poor sales of Advair and Avandia.

Meanwhile, AstraZeneca (LSE: AZN; NYSE: AZN) fell 2 percent to £24.09 after a lowered recommendation from Merrill Lynch, which cited increased competition from generics in reducing the drug maker from “neutral” to “sell”.

Miners were also lower on declines in base metals prices.

Vedanta Resources (LSE: VED) dropped 4.05 percent to £20.63, while Lonmin (LSE: LMI) was down 4.66 percent to £32.50 and Kazakhmys (LSE: KAZ) fell 7.21 percent to £13.78 after it said output was cut by 19 percent in one of its mines after a flood.

Oil explorer and producer Cairn Energy (LSE: CNE) had the best day on the 250 with a gain of 6.35 percent to £24.13 on rumors that BP (LSE: BP; NYSE: BP; TYO: 5051) might make an offer.

Elsewhere in the oil sector, Tullow Oil (LSE: TLW; OTC: TUWLY) was up 2.09 percent to 610p.

Carphone Warehouse (LSE: CPW) gained 1.82 percent to 336.25p on news of an unexpected deal with Vodafone (LSE: VOD; NYSE: VOD; FWB: VOD) in which Vodafone will host Carphone Warehouse’s new mobile phone service.

The best performance on the 100 came from BAE Systems (LSE: BA). The aerospace and defense group added 3.36 percent to 507p.

In London on Monday the FTSE 100 fell 1.05 percent to 6,459.3 and the FTSE 250 dropped 1.07 percent to 11,177.9.

The biggest loser on the 100 was British Energy Group (LSE: BGY), which fell 8.12 percent to 532p on the news that two nuclear generators will be out of service longer than previously anticipated after new problems there.

Banks were lower.

Lloyds TSB (LSE: LLOY) was 1.2 percent lower to 530p, while Barclays Bank (LSE: BARC; NYSE: BCS; TYO: 8642) was down 1.6 percent to 580p and Royal Bank of Scotland (LSE: RBS; NYSE: RBS PRM) dropped 1.7 percent to 502p.

Miners fell after base metals prices dropped.

BHP Billiton (LSE: BLT; ASX: BHP; NYSE: BHP) was down 3.9 percent to £17.64 and Vedanta Resources (LSE: VED) was 5.04 percent lower to £20.54, while Xstrata (LSE: XTA) also fell 5.04 percent to £36.20 and Kazakhmys (LSE: KAZ) dropped 5.15 percent to €14.55.

With crude oil prices also lower, Tullow Oil was down 5.79 percent to 585.5p.

Among gainers on the day, supermarket chain Wm Morrison (LSE: MRW) was up 1.62 percent to 297.25p while elsewhere in the retail sector Home Retail (LSE: HOME) added 1.81 percent to 380p.

Cruise line operator Carnival (LSE: CCL; NYSE: CCL) gained 1.61 percent to £22.68.

London’s markets were lower Tuesday.

The FTSE 100 was down 0.45 percent to 6,614.3 while the FTSE 250 fell 0.64 percent to 11,366.2.

The oil sector was mixed as crude oil prices climbed again.

BG Group (LSE: BG; NYSE: BG) was up 2.12 percent to 914p, while BP (LSE: BP; NYSE: BP; TYO: 5051) was 0.72 percent higher to 627p.

Royal Dutch Shell’s (LSE: RDSA, RDSB; NYSE: RDS.A, RDS.B) B shares added 1.27 percent to £20.81 and it’s A shares gained 1.46 percent to £20.86.

But Tullow Oil (LSE: TLW; OTC: TUWLY) fell 0.24 percent to 624p and Dana Petroleum (LSE: DNX) was 1.86 percent lower to £12.63.

Banks were mixed as well.

Northern Rock (LSE: NRK) continued its roller-coaster ride, adding 3.35 percent to 223.5p, while Alliance & Leicester (LSE: AL) gained 2.79 percent to 775p, but they were the only gainers among big banks in the UK.

Mortgage lender Bradford & Bingley (LSE: BB) dropped 3.14 percent on the session to 254.5p.

Some miners were lower, with Antofagasta (LSE: ANTO) falling 2.81 percent to 829p.

Johnson Matthey (LSE: JMAT), the biggest gainer on the 100 on Monday, fell 4.73 percent to £17.53 for the worst performance on the session.

In London on Thursday, the FTSE 100 was 1.38 percent higher to 6,724.5 while the FTSE 250 gained 0.96 percent to 11,622.9.

Commodities-related shares were higher on the session.

Vedanta Resources (LSE: VED) had the best day on the 100 as it added 5.8 percent to £23.17, while oil refiner and distributor Hunting (LSE: HTG) was the best performer on the 250 with a gain of 10.28 percent to 783p.

Elsewhere among miners, gold miner Randgold (LSE: RSS; NAS: GOLD) was 7.43 percent higher to £17.35 and Aquarius Platinum (LSE: AQP; ASX: AQP; JSE: AQP) jumped 9.42 percent to £18.47.

Back in the oil sector, Tullow Oil (LSE: TLW; OTC: TUWLY) was up 4.68 percent to 626.5p, while BG Group (LSE: BG; NYSE: BG) added 4.74 percent to 883p.

Among banks, Northern Rock (LSE: NRK) slipped again, dropping 5.67 percent to 258p for the worst performance of the session on the 100.

Meanwhile, the house building sector and property developers had a bad day after the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors reported that house prices were lower in the UK again in September.

Bovis Homes (LSE: BVS) was down 2.56 percent to 684p and Bellway (LSE: BWY) dropped 2.89 percent to £10.76.

Barratt Developments (LSE: BDEV) was 3.54 percent lower to 722p, Persimmon (LSE: PSN) fell 4.02 percent to £10.03 and Redrow (LSE: RDW) was down 4.31 percent to 388.5p.

Taylor Wimpey (LSE: TW) fell 4.28 percent to 290.75p.

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 saw gains Friday, with the FTSE 100 up 0.43 percent to 6,456.7 and the FTSE 250 gaining 0.73 percent to 11,094.7.

Banks were mixed.

While Northern Rock (LSE: NRK) added 4.91 percent to 194.3p, Alliance & Leicester (LSE: AL) dropped another 2.45 percent to 737p.

Energy-related shares were mixed as well.

Electricity generator British Energy (LSE: BGY) turned in the best performance on the 100 with a gain of 6.55 percent to 520.5p, but electric power transmitter National Grid (LSE: NG) was 2.38 percent lower to 759p.

Elsewhere, water utility Kelda Group (LSE: KEL) fell 3.08 percent to 864.5p.

Miners were also mixed.

Vedanta Resources (LSE: VED) added 3.39 percent to £21.35 on the 100, while over on the 250 gold miner Randgold (LSE: RRS; NAS: GOLD) was the worst performer on the 250 with a decline of 4.34 percent to £15.21.

Back on the 100, do-it-yourself retailer Kingfisher (LSE: KFG) fell 3.48 percent to 174.7 for the worst day on the blue-chip index.

Sports retailer JJB (LSE: JJB) was also lower, dropping 3.01 percent to 145p.

PartyGaming (LSE: PRTY) was up 9.47 percent to 26p for the best performance on the 250.

The London Stock Exchange (LSE: LSE) was up 6.7 percent to £18.

Tullow Oil (LSE: TLW; OTC: TUWLY) was also higher, with a gain of 5.84 percent to 607p.

Property developer Daejan Holdings (LSE: DJAN) jumped 6.38 percent to £40.17.

London’s markets were lower on Thursday.

The FTSE 100 was down 0.48 percent to 6,429 while the FTSE 250 was 1.1 percent lower to 11,013.8.

Retailers were mixed on the session, with J Sainsbury (LSE: SBRY) up 2.8 percent to 569p but DIY retailer Kingfisher (LSE: KFG) was down 5.88 percent to 181p and Home Retail (LSE: HOME) fell 5.38 percent to 373.75p.

The best day on the 100 came from cruise line operator Carnival (LSE: CCL; NYSE: CCL), which added 7.08 percent to £23.74.

Insurer Friends Provident (LSE: FP) was 4.24 percent higher to 174.7p, while in the mining sector Anglo American (LSE: AAL) gained 1.69 percent to £31.82 and Kazakhmys (LSE: KAZ) was up 1.9 percent to £14.50.

Northern Rock (LSE: NRK) turned in the worst performance on the 100 once again as it dropped 27.94 percent to 185.2p.

It was followed by Alliance & Leicester (LSE: AL) with a decline of 7.36 percent to 755.5p.

The London Stock Exchange (LSE: LSE) had the best day on the 250, gaining 16.10 percent to €16.87.

The oil sector saw advances.

Cairn Energy (LSE: CNE) was up 3.79 percent to £20, while Tullow Oil (LSE: TLW; OTC: TUWLY) added 4.37 percent to 573.5p.

The worst performance of the day on the 250 came from the leisure sector, where bar and restaurant operator Luminar (LSE: LMR) dropped 9.51 percent to 633p.

Mortgage lender Bradford & Bingley (LSE: BB) was down 8.61 percent to 299.75p, while public transport group Stagecoach (LSE: SGC) fell 5.85 percent to 225.5p.

There were gains in London’s equities markets on Tuesday.

The FTSE 100 added 1.63 to 6,283.3 and the FTSE 250 gained 0.54 percent to 10,802.8.

The 100 was helped out by Alliance & Leicester (LSE: AL) when the bank gained even more on the session than it lost Monday.

A&L was up 32.17 percent to 793p, by far the best performance on the blue chip index.

Other banks also gained although the sector was mixed.

Northern Rock (LSE: NRK) was up 8.22 percent to 306p after two consecutive sessions of over 30 percent declines each day.

Barclays Bank (LSE: BARC; NYSE: BCS; TYO: 8642) was 4.48 percent higher to 607p.

On the other hand, Lloyds TSB (LSE: LLOY) dropped 1.75 percent to 504p.

Also seeing a gain on the 100 was property investment group Liberty International (LSE: LII), which was up 5.06 percent to £11.

House builder Persimmon (LSE: PSN), however, dropped 0.53 percent to 941p, while miner Lonmin led the losers on the 100 as it fell 4.35 percent to €31.46.

Mortgage lenders did well on the 250.

Paragon (LSE: PAG) was 5.86 percent higher to 302.5p, while Bradford & Bingley (LSE: BB) jumped 12.28 percent to 313.25p for the best performance of the day on the 250.

Auto rental group Avis Europe (LSE: AVE) was 2.55 percent higher to 40.25p.

The oil sector didn’t do as well.

Venture Production (LSE: VPC) dropped 1.75 percent to 731.5p, while Tullow Oil (LSE: TLW; OTC: TUWLY) led the losers on the 250 with a decline of 3.95 percent to 511p.

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.

London’s markets saw gains Thursday as the FTSE 100 added 0.68 percent to 6,313.3 and the FTSE 250 gained 0.27 percent to 11,330.8 after the Bank of England‘s Monetary Policy Committee held interest rates steady as well.

Companies related to commodities filled all five top spots on the 100 and two of the top five places on the 250, including the best performance there.

Rio Tinto (LSE: RIO) had the best day on the 100 with a gain of 5.42 percent to £37.16.

Elsewhere in the mining sector Lonmin (LSE: LMI) was 4.71 percent higher to £33.79, while BHP Billiton (LSE: BLT; NYSE: BHP; ASX: BHP) gained 3.95 percent to £14.73 and Vedanta Resources (LSE: VED) was up 3.41 percent to £19.10.

In the oil sector, BG Group (LSE: BG; NYSE: BG) added 4.83 percent to 824.5p.

Over on the 250, gold miner Randgold (LSE: RRS; NAS: GOLD) was 6.21 percent higher to £12.99 for the best performance on the 250.

Tullow Oil (LSE: TLW; OTC: TUWLY) was 4.26 percent higher to 562.5p.

The worst performance on the day on the 100 came from electricity generator Drax Group (LSE: DRX), which fell 5.63 percent to 637.5p.

Banks were also lower, with Standard Chartered (LSE: STAN; SEHK: 2888) down 2.11 percent to £14.85 and Northern Rock (LSE: NRK) dropping 3.03 percent to 672p.

Elsewhere among financial services groups, insurer Legal & General Group (LSE: LGEN) fell 2.34 percent to 138p.

The worst performer on the 250 was reinsurer Benfield Group (LSE: BFD), which was 5.48 percent lower to 289p.