In the London equities markets, both the FTSE 100 and the FTSE 250 finished both the day and the week on a positive note. The FTSE 100 gained 0.4 percent on the day and 0.9 percent on the week to 5,407.9 at the close of trade on Friday. The FTSE 250 was up 0.4 percent for the day and 0.6 percent for the week to 7,901.6.

Volume was a very high 4.1 billion shares traded, explained by a double witching hour in which both stock options and index futures on the main index expired.

Miners were up on the day as gold reached a 17-year high. BHP Billiton and Anglo Pacific each gained 3.2 percent, to 873½p and 129½p respectively. Rio Tinto was up 3.8 percent on the day and 10 percent on the week to £21.49, while Anglo American advanced by 5.1 percent to £15.54.

Mergers and acquisitions rumors in the aerospace and defence sectors benefited defence group BAE Systems and jet engine maker Rolls-Royce. Rolls-Royce gained 3.4 percent to 370¾p and BAE was up 1.5 percent to 338p.

Among declining stocks, Shire Pharmaceuticals lost 1.5 percent to 685p after a downgrade to “neutral” by UBS.

London equities markets were up on Wednesday in spite of worries about short and long-term repercussions for the oil infrastructure on the US Gulf Coast due to damages incurred by Hurricane Katrina. The FTSE 100 was up 0.8 percent to 5,296.9 and the FTSE 250 gained 7,749.2 on a volume of 3.1 billion shares traded.

With the rise in oil prices, oil stocks were up despite damage to facilities in the storm zone. Royal Dutch Shell “B” shares gained 2.1 percent to £18.81 despite reports that two of their drilling rigs were adrift in the Gulf of Mexico, ripped loose from their moorings by Katrina.

The mining sector saw gains after Morgan Stanley said that demand from China will mean the peak of the current commodities cycle will not come until into 2006 and predicted that iron ore prices will go up by 5 percent next year. In the sector, Vedanta Resources gained 2.2 percent to 564p, while Anglo American gained 1.8 percent to £14.02.

In the telecommunications sector, mobile phone operator O2 gained 2.3 percent to 153¼p after Morgan Stanley increased the company’s target price to 175p per share, saying that a takeover of the company was still a possibility.

The London equities markets were lower on Wednesday as the mining sector
declined and merger rumors swirled around a utility.

The FTSE 100 dropped 0.5 percent to 5,275.2, while the FTSE 250 fell a fraction to 7,704.5 on a volume of 2.6 billion shares traded.

In the mining sector, BHP Billiton lost 3.7 percent to 804p despite reporting record profits for the full year.

Elsewhere in the sector, Rio Tinto lost 3.4 percent to £19.67, Anglo American dropped 2.7 percent to £13.74, and Antofagasta fell by 2.4 percent to £14.56.

Electric and gas utility Centrica was the focus of merger rumors, with several companies said to be interested in acquiring the company.

Most of the talk focused on Norwegian company Norsk Hydro after it admitted to having engaged in talks with Centrica earlier in the year.

Other names that were raised as possible suitors were Russian company Gazprom, Royal Dutch Shell, Gaz de France, and BG Group.

Analysts debated which companies might actually be thinking about buying Centrica and whether there were even any talks going on. Centrica would not comment, but its shares gained 3.8 percent to 252 ¾p.

Trade in the utility was heavy at 106 million shares traded on the day.

The London equity markets were mixed on Tuesday, with the FTSE 100 falling by 0.3 percent at the close to 5,300.2 even as the FTSE 250 added 0.2 percent to end the session at 7,707.4 on a volume of 2.4 billion shares traded.

British Airways lost 1.6 percent to 285 ¼p as analysts began to assess the damages to the air carrier incurred by the caterer’s walkout at Heathrow airport. One analyst said that BA could have its profits for the year cut by as much as £40 million.

Rolls Royce lost 0.1 percent to 341 ¼p after the announcement that it had won a joint contract worth $2.4 billion in conjunction with General Electric to develop new engines for the joint strike fighter, becoming part of the costliest military project in history.

In the pharmaceuticals sector, Acambis gained 4.1 percent to 255p on the announcement that it has successfully concluded phase II trials on a treatment for Japanese Encephalitis.

In the mining sector, Antofagasta added 1.5 percent to £14.91 on the possibility of more merger and acquisition activity involving the Chilean miner in the wake of the death last week of its former chairman and largest shareholder. Another factor in the company’s advance was the raised interim profits forecasts for 2006, up 43 percent to $341 million due to record copper prices.

In what is traditionally a quiet week on the equities markets, the FTSE 100 in London gained 0.1 percent to 5,318.4 on Monday, while the FTSE 250 was up by 0.4 percent to 7,691.7 on a low volume of 1.9 billion shares traded.

The mining sector was up on higher prices for copper. BHP Billiton gained 3.1 percent to 844 ½p on an expectation that its earnings statement, to be released on Wednesday, would be positive and on an increase in its rating by Numis Securities from “hold” to “add”.

Elsewhere in the sector, Antofagasta gained 3 percent to £14.69 and Rio Tinto added 2.9 percent to £20.49.

The decision on Friday by an American jury to hold pharmaceutical company Merck responsible for the death of a man who used its pain killer Vioxx had an effect on the rest of the sector as Shire Pharmaceutical lost 0.9 percent to 675 ½p and GlaxoSmithKline declined by 0.8 percent to £13.35.

Besides the news of the Merck verdict, GSK was also hurt by a report that its drug Paxil has been linked a survey by Oslo University that showed an increase of suicide attempts in adults who use the drug.

In the energy sector, mid-cap gas and oil company Soco International added 11.6 percent to 781p on the announcement that oil has been found at the Te Giac Trang site in Vietnam, in which it holds a 28 percent share.

In London on Wednesday, the equities markets saw their fifth day in a row of negative figures at the close of trade as the Bank of England released the minutes from the most recent meeting of the Bank of England’s monetary policy committee.

The banking and insurance sectors took the implication of the report, that there would not be another interest rate cut soon, especially badly. Overall, the FTSE 100 lost 0.6 percent to close at 5,292.7, while the FTSE 250 declined by 0.6 percent as well, to 7,654.5 at the close. In banking and insurance, Royal Sun Alliance was down 2.3 percent to 94 ¼p, Barclays lost 2.1 percent to 563p, Aviva declined by 2.4 percent to 621 ½p, and Prudential fell 1.7 percent to 514 ½p.

The telecommunications sector did somewhat better as Vodafone gained 0.7 percent to 151 p, BT added 1.8 percent to 220 ¾p, O2 added 2.8 percent to 146 ¾p, and Colt-Telecom gained 3.7 percent to 62 ½p.

The airline sector was mixed. British Airways fell 2 percent to 385 ¾p as its labor dispute continued. EasyJet, however, was up 1.3 percent to 299p after it announced it would save £10 million for the year as a result of a 10-year maintenance deal with Swiss firm SR Technics worth $1 billion.

Mining companies were down for the second day in a row as copper prices continued to fall. BHP Billiton lost 2.9 percent to 813p, Anglo American declined by 2.8 percent to £14.11, Rio Tinto fell 2.6 percent to £19.85, while Antofagasta dropped 1.8 percent to £14.04.

In Japan on Tuesday both the Nikkei and Topix indices reached 4-year closing highs as optimism about economic recovery continues. Even a damaging earthquake in the northern part of Honshu did not cause much disruption. The Nikkei 225 was up 0.5 percent to 12,315.67, while the Topix index gained 0.3 percent to 1,252.12.

Companies that deal with commodities were down on profit-taking after gains in the prices of oil and copper. Nippon Oil was down 0.7 percent to ¥878, while Nippon Mining, which has interest in both copper mining and oil, fell by 1.6 percent to ¥728.

Banking was also down. Japan’s largest banking group, Mizuho, closed down 1.4 percent at ¥543,000.

The steel sector was up, with Nippon Steel gaining 1.3 percent to ¥305 and Tokyo Steel Manufacturing added 1.5 percent to ¥1,498. Gains in the steel sector had to do with the announcement on Monday that Nippon Steel is planning on buying new equipment to deal with higher demand.

Aerial photography survey company Pasco was up 13 percent to ¥305 after Tuesday’s earthquake and the announcement that Pasco will launch a computer-based map service in September.

Robot-maker Fanuc gained 4.6 percent to ¥8,220 after securities firm CLSA said that the company benefited from higher robot orders from North America in the first half of the year.

In Tokyo on Monday, the Topix index had its highest close since July 2001 as it gained 0.3 percent to 1,248.77. Meanwhile, the Nikkei 225 lost 0.1 percent on the day to a closing level of 12,256.55.

Still, the Nikkei was not far from the four-year high it reached last week. Commodity producers were up due to higher market prices and strong demand.

Nippon Steel was up after it said it would spend money on new equipment made necessary by growing demand, gaining 2.7 percent to ¥301. Tokyo Steel Manufacturing was also up, by 1 percent to ¥1,476. Rising copper prices led to gains by companies with interests in copper.

Mitsubishi Materials, for example, gained 3.1 percent to ¥329. Oil prices, up to record highs at the end of last week, helped the oil sector to gains. AOC holdings was up 1.2 percent to ¥2,020. Nippon Mining, with interests in both oil and copper, also saw a gain, adding 2.5 percent to ¥740.

The banking and securities sector continued to do well on new optimizing about growth in the Japanese economy. Brokerage firm Nomura was up 0.7 percent to ¥1,486.

Automobile manufacturers, however, were down on the day after Friday’s news of dips in US consumer sentiment. Honda lost 2.1 percent to ¥5,640 and Toyota declined by 1.1 percent to ¥4,330.

In London on Monday, the FTSE 100 was down by 1.6 points to 5,344.2 while the FTSE 250 gained 0.8 points to 7,706. Volume was low at 2.1 billion shares as many investors were paying as much attention to cricket as they were to business.

Mergers and acquisitions gained a good bit of attention as well. Mining group Xstrata was up by 6.2 percent to reach an all-time high of £13.52 on the announcement that it has purchased 19.5 percent of Falconbridge, which is the third-largest nickel and zinc company in the world, for $1.7 billion. Also in the mining sector, copper miner Antofagasta gained 2.5 percent to £14.73.

In the telecommunications sector, Cable and Wireless was up 1.2 percent to 163p as it battled the smaller Thus to take control of the privately owned Energis. However, C&W said that it would not increase its bid package under any circumstances.

Also in the telecommunications sector, Vodaphone gained 1.2 percent to 150 ½p after JP Morgan said it was trading at too low a price in comparison to its competitors.

The London equities markets closed in positive territory on Wednesday as the FTSE 100 gained 0.3 percent to 5,377.5 and the FTSE 250 was up 0.4 percent to 7,734.6 on a volume of 2.8 billion shares traded.

Life assurers saw advances in share value. South Africa-based life assurers Old Mutual gained 2.5 percent to 134p on better-than expected first half results and a forecast that its strong performance will last through the year.

Aviv was up as well, by 2.2 percent to 657p, ahead of its first-half report and on confirmation that Lord Sharman was coming aboard as its new chairman.

Mobile phone company Vodafone gained 0.3 percent on the day to 147p on an assessment by Dresdner Kleinwort Wasserstein that investors were not taking note of rising valuations of Japanese companies and the improvement in Vodafone’s operations in Japan.

Banks didn’t do as well, as Lloyds TSB lost 1.8 percent to 474p, Royal Bank of Scotland dropped 0.9 percent to £16.05, and HBOS was down 0.7 percent to 903 ½p.

Other FTSE 100 decliners included oil company BP, which lost 0.8 percent to 653 ½p, pharmaceutical company AstraZeneca, which was down by 0.7 percent to £25.90, and mining company Rio Tinto, which dropped 0.8 percent to £20.32.

Record label EMI, however, gained 3 percent to 254 ¼p on the news that it is in discussions to purchase New York-based independent label Wind-Up Records, which records Creed and Evanescence. The proposed purchase prices is said to be $125 million.

The Japanese equities markets were up on Wednesday on heavy foreign buying as the Asian nation’s political turmoil began to ease.

The Nikkei 225 gained 1.7 percent to 12,098.08, its highest close since April 2004, while the Topix index closed 1.8 percent higher at 1,227,85, its highest close in four years.

Foreign buyers seemed to be accepting analysts’ opinions that Japan’s political troubles will not have any significant negative impact on the economy and could in fact be a positive factor in long-term economic growth.

There was also good news on several fronts. Machinery orders were strong, corporate goods price data pointed to an end of deflation, and the Cabinet Office monthly report contained a more positive assessment of the economy.

Foreign investors were especially interested in the machinery, steel, and textile sectors. Nippon Steel gained 1.4 percent to ¥292, and textile manufacturer Unitika was up 1.3 percent to ¥531. Quarterly reports also led to increases in share values. Mitsubishi Materials was up 6 percent on the day to ¥316 on the strength of its quarterly profits, which were reported on Monday.

Japan’s second biggest property developer, Mitsubishi Estate, gained 3.5 percent to ¥1,304 on a positive quarterly report. In the chemicals sector, Showa Denko gained 6 percent to ¥299 on a tripling of profits in the first half.

Retailers were up on the day as well, on reports that the political situation could delay implementation of a hike in the consumption tax. Department store chain Mitsukoshi added 2.7 percent to ¥531.

In London on Tuesday, the FTSE 100 was up by 0.4 percent to 4,363.7, its best effort since late August 2001, while the FTSE 250 was also up 0.4 percent to 7,702.4.

It was the first time that the mid-caps index had broken the 7,700 level. Trading reached a volume of 2.8 billion shares.

The oil sector was up substantially on Monday’s spike in crude oil prices. BP gained 1.5 percent to 659p, Royal Dutch Shell’s “B” shares were up 2.2 percent to £19.09, and Oilexco added 4.2 percent to 161p. Tullow Oil rose 3.8 percent to 207 ½p and Paladin Resources were up 6.7 percent to 293 ½p.

In other energy groups, Cairn Energy added 6.8 percent to £17.20 when UBS raised its rating to “buy” and increased its price target from £15.30 to £19.60. Meanwhile, BG Group gained 3 percent to 514 ½p on rumors that it might be a takeover target in the sights of China’s CNOOC after the Chinese company withdrew from the bidding for US oil company Unocal.

The mining sector was also up on higher commodities prices, especially that of copper. Xstrata gained 1.9 percent to £12.75, while Rio Tinto was up 1.4 percent to £20.48.

In the banking sector, Standard Chartered gained 2.4 percent to £12.40 on upgrades from several brokers following Monday’s positive quarterly report.

London’s equities markets were up on Tuesday. The FTSE 100 reached its highest level in 44 months to close at 5,327.5, a gain of 36.7 points on the day. The FTSE 250 was up as well, closing at 7,636.6. 2.6 billion shares were traded on the day.

The FTSE 100’s gains were helped by advances in mining stocks and on the expectation that the Bank of England will lower UK interest rates when its monetary policy committee meets later in the week.

Shares in mining companies were higher on new record high prices for copper brought about by production interruptions in Zambia and Chile that raised the possibility of tight supplies becoming even tighter. BHP Billiton was up 2.5 percent to 810p, Antofagasta gained 1.6 percent to £13.46, Rio Tinto added 2.1 percent to £19.15, and Xstrata rose by 1.7 percent to £12.13.

In the air transportation sector, Ryanair gained 1.8 percent to *6.87 on record high quarterly earnings, even though it raised cautions about results for the rest of the year due to high fuel costs. Fund manager Amvescap lost 1.6 percent to 420p on results that were a bit below predictions.

Other fund managers saw gains on the day after rumors that CI Financial might be readying a hostile takeover of Amvescap. Henderson Group gained 3.1 percent to 67 ½p, Rathbone Brothers was up 1.3 percent to 847 ½p, and Schroders added 1.2 percent to 869 ½p.

It was a roller coaster day on London’s equities markets on Thursday as new reports of terrorist activity erased early gains and sent the FTSE down by 75.8 points, only to make up the losses once it was understood that compared to the bombings two weeks ago, these attacks had caused minimal damage and injury.

Also having an effect on the day’s trade was China’s decision to revalue the renminbi. The FTSE 100 closed the day 0.1 percent higher at 5,221.6, while the FTSE 250 was up 0.4 percent to 7,467.4.

The mining sector was higher as copper prices hit a new peak. Anglo American gained 2.6 percent to £13.73, Antofagasta was up 1.2 percent to £12.93, and Rio Tinto rose by 1.3 percent to £18.62.

BHP Billiton added 1.3 percent to 782p on the news that it has entered into a joint venture with Japan’s biggest steel producer, JFE, in a deal expected to be worth $4.3 billion.

In the power sector, Centrica, the UK’s biggest gas and electricity supplier, saw its shares rise on the news that its rival Powergen has raised rates to residential users by 12 percent for gas and 7 percent for electricity. Shares in Centrica gained 2.6 percent to 230 ¾p.