The London equities markets were down on Friday at the end of a losing week. The FTSE 100 declined by 0.5 percent on the day and lost 1.7 percent this week to close at 6,023.1, while the FTSE 250 was down by 0.5 percent on the day and by 0.7 percent on the week to 9,878.7.

There were notable gainers on the day, however. In the banking sector, Standard Chartered added 2.9 percent to £14.56 after going as high as £15.17 earlier in the day on talk that Temasek of Singapore might buy more of a stake in the bank on top of the 11.5 percent it bought last month. Alliance & Leicester was also up on the day, by 1 percent to £11.23, on renewed bids rumors.

British Energy was up 0.7 percent to 662p after Lehman Brothers said that weakness in share prices in the sector due to declines in carbon dioxide prices were overdone.

Pharmaceuticals company GlaxoSmithKline added 1.6 percent to £15.56 on an upgrade from “equal weight” to “overweight” by Morgan Stanley.

Homebuilders were mixed on the day. Crest Nicholson gained 3.6 percent to 555p on bids talk, but Bovis Homes and Persimmon were both down, by 1.1 percent to £13.10 and 2.6 percent, also to £13.10.

Among losers, broadcaster BSkyB was down 0.9 percent on the day to 525½p on worries that it might be required to resubmit its bid for two licenses to carry English Premiership football.

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.

In London on Wednesday the FTSE 250 went above 10,000 for the first time although it ended just below that level at 9,997.6, a gain of 0.3 percent on the day. The FTSE 100 also added 0.3 percent on the day to close at 6,104.3. The 100 benefited from gains in the financial sectors, while homebuilders helped the 250 into record territory.

There were declines on the day, however. British Energy dropped 4.6 percent to 682p after the price of European carbon dioxide emission credits dropped. And EMI was down 0.95 percent after recent gains when Merrill Lynch said that the benefits of a possible merger with US company Warner Music has now been incorporated into its share price. EMI closed at 285¾p.

Among financial companies, fund management group Amvescap gained 8.7 percent to 624p on a much better than anticipated first-quarter earnings report. Among banks, Lloyds TSB added 1.5 percent to 532p on a comment from Deutsche Bank that its dividend could increase next year, along with a reiteration of its “buy” recommendation and its 610p target share price.

Homebuilders were up on more rumors of mergers. Crest Nicholson was up 3.4 percent to 532½p on speculation that Bovis Homes Group is interested in buying the 23.3 percent the company currently owend by Heron International. Bovis added 0.3 percent to 908p on the talk.

Carphone Warehouse gained 5 percent to 338¾p after it’s house broker upgraded it to “outperform” and raised its target share price to 420p, a rise of 68 percent. It figures that the company’s recently launched bundled internet/phone service could increase profits by a significant amount in the next few years.

The London equities markets were mixed on Tuesday as the FTSE 100 was hurt by a declining oil sector but the FTSE 250 was helped out by bid rumors in the homebuilding sector. The 100 dropped 0.2 percent to 6,086.6, while the 250 added 0.1 percent to 9,966.9.

Oil exploration company Cairn Energy was down 2 percent to £23.70 on lower oil prices and talk that the company’s directors had been selling their own shares in the company in order to profit from the company’s recent advances. Cairn has added 23 percent to its share price since the beginning of the year.

In the homebuilding sector, Bellway was said to be especially attractive to possible bidders with one of the lowest share prices in the sector. Bellway added 0.4 percent on the day to £11.91.

Still in mergers and acquisitions, broadcaster ITV was rumored to be about to receive an offer from Kohlberg Kravis Roberts, a private equity group. ITV was up 1.3 percent to 116p. Takeover speculation also surrounded pubs group Greene King, which lost 0.8 percent on the day to 755½p. Entrepreneur Michael Cannon was said to be interested.

In the steel sector, Corus was up 1.1 percent to 88¼p as Citigroup reiterated its “buy” recommendation and upped its target share price from 90p to 100p.

The London equities markets were lower on Monday as banks dropped, with the FTSE 100 down by 0.55 percent to 6,098.7 and the FTSE 250 falling 0.2 percent to 9,949.2.

Alliance & Leicester was down 2.25 percent to £11.28 when a bid that had been in the rumor mill last week was not forthcoming. HBOS was down 1.65 percent to 952p and Lloyds TSB dropped by 1.6 percent to 522p on worries surrounding the domestic mortgage market.

Insurer Prudential dropped 3 percent to 637½p when Morgan Stanley placed 2.25 million shares, nearly 1 percent of the company’s stocks at 642p.

Another loser was GCap Media, down 2.86 percent to 255p on profit-taking after a gain of 19 percent last week.

Imperial Tobacco held steady at £17.60 as it was reported that it has hired two banks to advise it on a possible bid for Franco-Spanish tobacco company Altadis.

Among gainers, EMI added 5.66 percent to 294p after rumors over the weekend that it is ready to resume talks with US company Warner Music concerning a possible merger. Traders were inclined to believe the rumors, but say that there are many details to be settled before a deal can be reached, not the least of which are who will run the new company and where it will be listed.

One of the biggest gainers on the FTSE 250 for the day was drilling contractor Abbot Group, which added 5.26 percent to 340p, its highest share price ever, primarily on its newest acquisition, Songa Drilling.

In London on Friday the FTSE 100 added 0.8 percent to 6,132.7, a five-year high. The 100 was up 1.7 percent in the holiday-shortened week. The FTSE 250 was up 0.6 percent for the day and 1.8 percent on the week to close at 9,950.8.

Miners and oil were both instrumental in the day’s gains. Copper prices on the rise again after Thursday’s declines helped Antofagasta up by 5.1 percent to £24.68, its highest-ever share price. Elsewhere in the sector, Xstrata added 4.6 percent to £20.87 and Kazakhmys gained 4.3 percent to £12.39.

In the oil sector, Royal Dutch Shell was up 2.2 percent to end the day at £20.43.

Bid rumors led to gains in several sectors. Among banks, Alliance & Leicester gained 0.7 percent to £11.54 on talk that French bank Crédit Agricole would offer for A&L, possibly as soon as Monday. Elsewhere in the sector, Lloyds TSB added 0.8 percent to 530½p on renewed talk of a possible bid from Citigroup.

Gcap Media gained 8 percent to 262½p after Oriel Securities said that GCaps collection of radio stations would be an attractive acquisition.

Homebuilder Wilson Bowden added 1.7 percent to £15.72, also on bid rumors.

Shire Pharmaceuticals was up 2.3 percent to 878p after it was announced that the US Food and Drug Administration is still looking at a request that generic versions of Shire’s hyperactivity drug Adderall be subjected to rigorous testing.

Medical devices manufacturer Smith & Nephew gained 3.5 percent to 518½p ahead of its quarterly earnings report, due next Thursday.

In London on Wednesday the FTSE 100 had its highest close since February 2001 as it gained 0.76 percent to 6,089.8. Meanwhile, the FTSE 250 was up even more, adding 0.89 percent to 9.871.8.

The construction materials sector was up on comments indicating that the US Federal Reserve might be nearly finished raising interest rates for the time being. Companies with large US operations should see benefit should this be the case. Hanson was up 4.25 percent to 760½p, while Wolseley added 3.9 percent to £14.03. Also benefiting from the news on interest rates was Taylor Woodrow. With 40 percent of its business in the United States, the homebuilder gained 1.3 percent to 387¼p.

Publisher Emap added 3.6 percent to 869½p on rumors that several entities are interested in purchasing its French business. Once it sheds that unit, Emap itself was said to be a possible target for bids.

Casino operator London Clubs International added 7 percent to 115p, also on bids rumors. There is talk that Ladbrokes will try for LCI once it sells its Hilton hotel interests. US group Boyd Gaming is also said to be interested. Ladbrokes was up 0.4 percent to 418½p on the day.

Leisure group Rank, owner of Grosvenor Casinos, was up 2.15 percent to 225½p on a reiteration of a recommendation to “buy” from Citigroup, citing it as an attractive takeover target if it gets rid of its losing Deluxe Media business. Elsewhere in the sector, Stanley Leisure added 4.5 percent to 713½p and William Hill advanced by 1.16 percent to 609½p.

Imperial Tobacco was up 4 percent to £17.54, a five-year high share price, on speculation that it would make an offer for Franco-Spanish tobacco company Altadis before the year is out. JP Morgan said that the deal was likely due to a combination of Imperial being in a strong position and Altadis’ share prices being weak. Along with these comments, JP Morgan also raised Imperial’s target share price from £18.50 to £20.00.

In London on Tuesday the FTSE 100 gained 0.24 percent to 6,044.1, while the FTSE 250 was up 0.1 percent to 9,785.2 as traders returned from the long holiday weekend.

Shares in companies related to the oil and gas industry were up as crude oil prices reached record highs. BP added 1.24 percent to 696½p, while BG Group was up 2.96 percent to 764p. Rumors of a takeover move against BG by ExxonMobil were again circulating.

Oil exploration group Burren Energy benefited not only from higher oil prices but also from an upgrade from UBS. The broker raised its recommendation on Burren to “buy” and set a target share price of £10.70. Burren added 9 percent to 996½p.

Elsewhere in the sector, Fortune Oil was up 14.2 percent to 6p on a deal to purchase 60 percent of a gas reserve in Shani Province, China, while Black Rock Oil & Gas added 29 percent to 1.47p after raising £1.3 million to invest in its Columbia operations.

Miners were also up on the day as metals prices were also up again. BHP Billiton was up 5 percent to £11.80, while Aim-listed China Goldmines added 72.3 percent to 127½p.

Property company British Land benefited from an upgrade to “buy” from UBS, gaining 4.7 percent to £12.77. Merrill Lynch also recommended that its clients buy shares in British Land, based on recent weakness in its share price as well as government plans to introduce tax efficient real estate investment trusts.

In London on Thursday the equities markets finished higher at the end of a holiday-shortened week. The FTSE 100 added 0.4 percent to 6,029.4 and the FTSE 250 closed at 9,775.0, an advance of 0.8 percent.

Bid rumors were still common. In the telecommunications sector, Vodafone gained 3.2 percent to 128¼p, benefiting from continued rumors that US company Verizon Communications might offer for it. Meanwhile, pub and bar group Mitchells & Butlers was up substantially after a group led by Robert Tchenguiz admitted that they have approached M&B. The news sent M&B up by 7.3 percent to 497½p.

Upgrades from UBS also worked in favor of some shares. Chipmaker CSR advanced by 5.4 percent to £12.65 after UBS raised its target share price from £12.50 to £14.50. Likewise, VT Group added 4.7 percent on an increase of its target share price from 540p to 600p.

In the internet gaming sector, PartyGaming gained 4.7 percent to 151¾p ahead of a trading update due next Tuesday.

Engine manufacturer Rolls-Royce Group was up after it announced that it is now addressing its pension fund deficit with its UK pension funds. R-R rose 2.6 percent to 480p.

Miners were down after recent gains, with Anglo American losing 1.1 percent to £23.66. Banks didn’t fare much better. Northern Rock, for example, lost 1 percent to £10.98.

Despite gains early in the day in London on Tuesday, the FTSE 100 ended the day down by 0.8 percent to 6,016.5, mainly on declines spurred by worries about rising interest rates around the world. The FTSE 250 lost even more, dropping 1.3 percent to 9,743.8. Volume amounted to 3.4 billion shares traded.

The early gains came on advances in the mining sector as metals prices hit new highs yet again. Anglo American added 0.8 percent to £24.25 and Xstrata gained 1.6 percent to £20.05. Both were helped by upgrades from “hold” to “buy” from Deutsche Bank.

The oil sector was also largely higher as crude oil prices rose. Dana Petroleum was up 3.2 percent to £10.70 after Merrill Lynch upped its target share price from £11.50 to £13.50. Not all sector stocks were up, however. Burren Energy dropped 4.8 percent to 907p when Merrill Lynch downgraded its shres from “buy” to “neutral” over problems in its exploration program.

The telecommunications sector was also mixed. Colt Telecom added 4.4 percent to 70½p on renewed bid speculation. But BT Group and Carphone Warehouse both lost ground after Carphone Warehouse announced a plan to offer free broadband to UK customers. BT dropped 2.4 percent to 213p, while Carphone Warehouse was down 1.1 percent to 310p. Vodafone also declined, dropping 2.2 percent to 123½p.

In the retail sector, Marks & Spencer added 3.9 percent to 586p on the announcement that sales were up more than had been expected and on a subsequent reiteration of a “buy” recommendation from Oriel Securities.

Insurer Prudential dropped 2 percent to 654p after Axa said that it was not discussing a bid and was not planning to enter into such talks.

Meanwhile, US stock exchange Nasdaq became the largest shareholder in the London Stock Exchange when it bought out Threadneedle Asset Management’s 35.4 million shares in the LSE and also made a separate purchase of 2.7 million additional shares in the exchange. The purchases took Nasdaq’s stake in the LSE to 14.99 percent, higher than the 10 percent rumor had it that the US company was looking to acquire. The news of the acquisition only was revealed after trading had closed for the day. During the day’s session, shares in the LSE had gained 1 percent to £10.38.