07:43 AM EDT, 03/18/2024 (MT Newswires) -- European bourses tracked marginally higher midday Monday as traders weighed outlooks that global central banks will be able to ease interest rates in the months ahead.

Oil, property and tech issues gained, while food stocks lagged.

Investors also eyed Wall Street futures modestly signaling red, and higher closes overnight on Asian exchanges.

The Federal Reserve and the European Central Bank are poised to make progress this year in cutting interest rates, Bank for International Settlements General Manager Agustin Carstens told CNBC. The BIS is sometimes called the "central bank for central banks."

The pan-continental Stoxx Europe 600 Index was flat mid-session.

The Stoxx Europe 600 Technology Index was up 0.5%, but the Stoxx 600 Banks Index was flat.

The Stoxx Europe 600 Oil and Gas Index was up 0.5%, but the Stoxx 600 Europe Food and Beverage Index declined 0.3%.

The REITE, a European REIT index, rose 0.5%, and the Stoxx Europe 600 Retail Index inclined 0.2%.

On the national market indexes, Germany's DAX was up 0.3%, and the FTSE 100 in London was up 0.2%. The CAC 40 in Paris was 0.2% higher and Spain's IBEX 35 gained 0.3%.

Yields on benchmark 10-year German bonds were higher, near 2.46%.

Front-month North Sea Brent crude-oil futures were up 0.5% to $85.75 per barrel.

The Euro Stoxx 50 volatility index was up 2.5% to 13.64, indicating below-average volatility for European stock markets in the next 30 days, a positive signal. A reading above 20 indicates choppier markets ahead, while below 20 suggests calmer exchanges.