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.

Equities markets in London were mixed on Monday.

The FTSE 100 was 0.15 percent lower to 6,206.1, while the FTSE 250 gained 0.79 percent to 11,071.7.

Miners saw significant gains on the day.

BHP Billiton (LSE: BLT; ASX: BHP; NYSE: BHP) gained 3.09 percent to £14.03, while Rio Tinto (LSE: RIO) added 3.68 percent to £34.51, Antofagasta (LSE: ANTO) was 4.15 percent higher to 702p, and Vedanta Resources (LSE: VED) was up 5.5 percent to £17.07.

The best performer on the 100 came in the chemicals sector, where Imperial Chemical Industries (LSE: ICI; NYSE: ICI) added 7.19 percent to 618.5p.

The biggest loser on the 100 was in the financial services sector, where Man Group (LSE: EMG) fell 2.75 percent to 547.5p.

Other decliners included Imperial Tobacco Group (LSE: IMT), which dropped 2.02 percent to £21.37.

Prudential (LSE: PRU; NYSE: PUK) dropped 2.11 percent to 650p, while electric power transmitter National Grid (LSE: NG) was 2.14 percent lower to 686p.

Manufacturer FKI (LSE: FKI) had the best day on the 250, adding 9.16 percent to 110.25p, while JKX Oil & Gas (LSE: JKX) gained 8.61 percent to 346p.

The worst performer on the 250 was property investment group Capital & Regional (LSE: CPP), which fell 4.12 percent to 907p.

London’s markets were lower on the dayFriday, but not nearly as steeply as they were on Thursday.

The FTSE 100 fell 0.58 percent to 6,215.2, while the FTSE 250 was down 0.44 percent to 10.984.5.

Miners posted the worst performances on both the 100 and the 250 as Anglo American (LSE: AAL) dropped 3.86 percent to £27.43 on the 100 and Aquarius Platinum (LSE: AQP; ASX: AQP) fell 7.37 percent to £13.58.

Also in the sector, Antofagasta (LSE: ANTO) was down 3.43 percent to 675p, while Vedanta Resources (LSE: VED) was 3.68 percent lower to £16.22.

Online property search group Rightmove (LSE: RMV) also saw declines, dropping 6.09 percent to 547.5p, while human resources group STHREE (LSE: STHR) was 5.75 percent lower to 410.5p.

Caterer Compass Group (LSE: CPG) fell 2.81 percent to 311p.

Chemicals group Reckitt Benckiser (LSE: RB) had the best day on the 100 as it gained 3.19 percent to £26.84.

Publisher Emap (LSE: EMA) was the best performer on the 250, where it added 12.7 percent to 860.5p.

Another publishers, Johnston Press (LSE: JPR) was 4.69 percent higher to 385p.

Retailers also had gains on the 250.

GAME Group (LSE: EBQ) added 4.77 percent to 186.75p, while home shopping retailer Findel (LSE: FADV) gained 4.83 percent to 683.5p.

In the banking sector, Northern Rock (LSE: NRK) was up 3.12 percent to 793.5p.

Electric power transmitter National Grid (LSE: NG) and airplane engine maker Rolls-Royce (LSE: RR) each added 2.47 percent, to 704p and 508.5p respectively.

The London equities markets fell significantly on Thursday.

The FTSE 100 was 3.15 percent lower on the session, to 6,251.2, while the FTSE 250 dropped 3.35 percent to 11,033.4.

Insurers were in focus, as companies in the sector provided both the best and worst performances on the 100.

On the winning side, Resolution (LSE: REL) added 2.84 percent to 633.5p, while Legal & General (LSE: LGEN) fell 8.24 percent to 138.1p.

The decline for Legal & General came after it reported that margins had fallen to 3.6 percent and that its non-life unit had lost £38 million on household claims due to flooding.

L&G also disappointed when it announced a share buyback program worth £1 billion, much less than had been anticipated by analysts.

Also in the insurance sector, Friends Provident was down 6.65 percent to 181.2p as UBS (NYSE: UBS; SWX: UBSN; TYO: 8657) cut its recommendation from “buy” to “neutral”.

Other sectors seeing declines on the 100 included hotels operators, as Intercontinental Hotels (LSE: IHG; NYSE: IHG) fell 7.34 percent to £11.11.

In the telecommunications sector, Vodafone (LSE: VOD; NYSE: VOD; FWB: VOD) dropped 7.23 percent to 145p.

Airplane engine manufacturer Rolls Royce (LSE: RR) fell 6.46 percent to 496.25p after it reported that profits in the first half were down by 51 percent, affected by the weakness of the US dollar.

The biggest loser on the 250 was retailer GAME group (LSE: EBQ), with a drop of 7.22 percent to 176.75p.

Equities markets were lower in London on Wednesday.

The FTSE 100 dropped 0.68 percent to 6,454.3, while the FTSE 250 was down 1.46 percent to 11,415.2.

Pharmaceutical group GlaxoSmithKline (LSE: GSK; NYSE: GSK) topped the 100, adding 2.33 percent to £12.75 on an unexpected increase in second quarter profits based on greater demand for its Advair asthma treatment.

GSK also announced an expansion of its share buy-back program.

Meanwhile on the 250, electronics and engineering group Renishaw (LSE: RSW), which makes gauges and meters, was the top performer with a gain of 14.33 percent to 684p/

Other gainers on the day included the banking sector.

On the 100, Northern Rock (LSE: NRK) added 1.87 percent to 817p, while on the 250 Bradford & Bingley (LSE: BB) gained 0.97 percent to 416.75p and Close Brothers Group (LSE: CBG) was up 1.93 percent to 845p.

Defense aerospace group BAE Systems (LSE: BA; OTCBB: BAESY) was 1.63 percent higher to 435.25p.

On the losing side, British Energy had the worst day on the 100, dropping 5.21 percent to 483.5p on a broker downgrade.

The worst performer on the 250 came from the semiconductors sector, where CSR (LSE: CSR) fell 11.28 percent to 770.5p.

The mining sector declined on copper prices that were lower.

Antofagasta (LSE: ANTO) was 2.47 percent lower to 723p, while Rio Tinto (LSE: RIO) was down 3.65 percent to £35.90.

On the 250, property developer Daejan Holdings (LSE: DJAN) fell 5.75 percent to £38.86, while builder Severfield-Rowen (LSE: SFR) dropped 5.69 percent to £22.36.

Equities markets in London saw big losses on Tuesday’s session.

The FTSE 100 fell 1.9 percent to 6,498.7, while the FTSE 250 dropped 1.68 percent to 11,584.

Retailers were lower after sporting good retailer Sports Direct (LSE: SPD) dropped 22.63 percent to 147p after it issued its second profits warning since it’s IPO in February, prompting negative broker comment.

Other retailers seeing declines included GAME Group (LSE: EBQ), which fell 6.86 percent to 193.5p.

Home Retail (LSE: HOME) was 3.28 percent lower to 427.25p, while clothing retailer Next (LSE: NXT) was down 2.66 percent to £18.67 and DIY retailer Kingfisher (LSE: KFG) dropped 2.25 percent to 217.5p.

Electric power generators were lower as well.

British Energy (LSE: BGY) had the worst day on the 100 as it fell 4.5 percent to 509p, while Drax Group (LSE: DRX) was 3.84 percent lower to 700.5p.

Miners were also lower, with Anglo American (LSE: AAL) down 3.81 percent to £31.33 and Lonmin (LSE: LMI) dropping 3.88 percent to £35.90.

Insurer Old Mutual was 3.93 percent lower to 168.7p after talk that South African bank Nedbank (JSE: NED), in which Old Mutual owns a majority stake, might be the target of a takeover.

There were gainers on the day.

Spread betting specialist IG Group Holdings (LSE: IGG) added 9.21 percent to 341p for the best performance of the day on the 250, while consumer products group Reckitt Benckiser (LSE: RB) had the best day on the 100 with a gain of 1.14 percent to £27.48 ahead of its quarterly report.

Other gainers included phone book publisher Yell Group (LSE: YELL), which added 0.69 percent to 472.5p on positive fiscal first quarter results.

Imperial Tobacco (LSE: IMT) gained 0.78 percent to £23.13.

The markets were mixed in London on Monday, with the FTSE 100 adding 0.6 percent to 6,624.4 but the FTSE 250 falling 0.38 percent to 11,775.

Insurer Friends Provident (LSE: FP) was the best performer on the 100 as it added 7.83 percent to 201p after it announced that it is in merger talks with Resolution (LSE: RSL).

Elsewhere in the insurance sector, Legal and General (LSE: LGEN) was 2.71 percent higher to 155.3p.

Barclay’s Bank (LSE: BARC; NYSE: BCS; TYO: 8642) gained 3.01 percent to 735p on the news that China will by a stake in the bank so that it can increase its bid for ABN Amro (Euronext: AAB; NYSE: ABN).

The insurance sector grabbed the top spot on the 250 on the session as well, with special risk insurer Beazley Group (LSE: BEZ) up 5.95 percent to 169.25p.

Retailer GAME Group (LSE: EBQ) also saw gains, adding 3.4 percent to 205.25p.

The property investment sector had a rough day.

Liberty International (LSE: LII) fell 1.7 percent to £11, while SEGRO (LSE: SLOU) - formerly Slough Estates - also dropped 1.7 percent, to 578p.

British Land (LSE: BLND) was the worst performer on the 100, falling 3.1 percent to £13.14.

Meanwhile, house builder Persimmon (LSE: PSN) was 1.69 percent lower to £11.64.

Lifting equipment manufacturer FKI (LSE: FKI) had the worst day on the 250 as it dropped 8.27 percent to 113.75p.

Property investment groups did no better on the 250 than they did on the 100, as Shaftesbury (LSE: SHB) was 3.99 percent lower to 577p and Workspace Group (LSE: WKP) fell 5.23 percent to 362.5p.

The London markets did not decline as much as the continental European markets did on Friday, but they were down as well.

The FTSE 100 fell 0.83 percent to 6,585.2, while the FTSE 250 dropped 0.51 percent to 11,819.4.

Gainers on the day included insurer Friends Provident, which had the best day on the 100 as it added 4.25 percent to 186.4p.

On the 250, consumer goods group SSL International (LSE: SSL) did the best, gaining 3.99 percent to 469.25p.

Other advances on the day included aerospace and defense group BAE Systems (LSE: BA; OTCBB: BAESY), which was up 1.6 percent to 428p.

Imperial Tobacco (LSE: IMT) was 1.11 percent higher to £22.78, while British Energy (LSE: BGY) gained 0.86 percent to 527.5p.

Off of the major indices, software company iSoft (LSE: IOT) added 19 percent to 65.5p after it received a bid from German computer information systems group CompuGroup (FWB: COP).

Miners were mixed on the session, with Antofagasta (LSE: ANTO) up 1.45 percent to 736p but Lonmin (LSE: LMI) was 2.72 percent lower to £36.85.

The biggest loser on the day on the 100 was Cable and Wireless (LSE: CW), which fell 3.6 percent to 182p on shareholder protests over executive pay.

British Airways (LSE: BAY; NYSE: BAB), meanwhile, dropped 2.83 percent to 420p on reports that the current stringent airport security measures could remain in place for the foreseeable future.

Asset management group Bluebay (LSE: BBAY) was the worst performer on the 250 as it dropped 4.91 percent to 430.75p.

Auto insurer Admiral Group (LSE: ADM) was 4.85 percent lower to 819p, while internet gamer PartyGaming (LSE: PRTY) fell 4.58 percent to 31.25p.

In London, the FTSE 100 added 1.11 percent to 6,640.2, while the FTSE 250 gained 1.32 percent to 11,880.2.

Miner Antofagasta (LSE: ANTO) was the best performer on the 100, where it was 5.37 percent higher to 725.5p.

The sector was mixed, however.

While Vedanta Resources (LSE: VED) was also higher, adding 4.22 percent to £18.04, Aquarius Platinum (LSE: AQP; ASX: AQP; JSE: AQP) was had the worst day on the 250, falling 3.41 percent to £16.15.

Property investment company Shaftsbury (LSE: SHB) did the best on the session on the 250, adding 9.16 percent to 608p. In the same sector, Minerva (LSE: MNR) gained 6.71 percent to 330p.

Back on the 100, aerospace and defense group BAE Systems (LSE: BA; OTCBB: BASEY) was 4.79 percent higher to 421.25p on the news that its proposed acquisition of Armor Holdings (NYSE: AH), which makes military and law enforcement equipment, has been approved by US antitrust authorities.

Insurer Old Mutual (LSE: OML; JSE: OLOML) was 4.58 percent higher to 175.9p on the news that Nedbank (JSE: NED), a South African bank in which it holds the majority stake, is in talks with Standard Chartered concerning a takeover.

Standard Chartered (LSE: STAN; SEHK: 2888) was lower on the report, dropping 0.77 percent to £16.71.

Pubs operators were lower on the session after Mitchells and Butlers (LSE: MAB) had the worst day on the 100, dropping 3.25 percent to 863p after a broker downgrade from “hold” to “sell” and the setting of a target share price at 790p on a report of a possible property deal.

In the same sector, JD Wetherspoon (LSE: JDW) fell 1.29 percent to 611p.

British Energy (LSE: BGY) was 1.23 percent lower to 523p after its chairman said that the power generator’s nuclear power output last year was “disappointing”.

In London on Wednesday the FTSE 100 dropped 1.38 percent to 6,567.1, while the FTSE 250 was 0.64 percent lower to 11,726.

The best performance on the day on the 100 came from water utility Kelda Group (LSE: KEL), which gained 2.13 percent to 889p after broker upgrades.

Merrill Lynch (NYSE: MER; TYO: 8675) and Citigroup (NYSE: C) both upped their recommendations on the utility, with Citigroup raising its rating from “sell” to “hold”, while JP Morgan (NYSE: JPM; TYO: 8634) raised its target share price.

Pubs operator Wetherspoon (LSE: JDW) had the best day on the 250, gaining 10.99 percent to 616p after it reported higher sales and said that it is on target to meet its forecasts.

Still in the same sector, pubs operator Mitchells & Butlers (LSE: MAB) added 1.83 percent to 892p.

In a related sector, brewer SABMiller (LSE: SAB) was 1.63 percent higher to £13.10.

The worst performance on the 250 came from sports retailer JJB Sports (LSE: JJB), which dropped 7.52 percent to 233.75p.

In the same sector, clothing retailer Next (LSE: NXT) fell 3.23 percent to £18.88 on the 100.

The biggest loser on the 100 was miner Anglo American (LSE: AAL), down 3.85 percent to £31.

Fellow miner Lonmin (LSE: LMI) was also lower as it fell 3.6 percent to £36.95.

Other commodities-related groups also saw declines on the session.

UK Coal (LSE: UKC) dropped 4.21 percent to 534.5p, while in the oil sector Dana Petroleum (LSE: DNX) fell 5 percent to £11.02.