07:48 AM EDT, 10/25/2024 (MT Newswires) -- European bourses tracked moderately lower midday Friday after several soft earnings reports from major brands, and as geopolitical tensions in Eastern Europe and the Middle East continued unabated.

German automaker Mercedes-Benz, French auto parts supplier Valeo and appliances maker Electrolux all reported earnings lower than expected.

Bank and oil stocks edged higher, while retail and food issues lagged.

Investors also eyed Wall Street futures signaling green, but mixed closes overnight on Asian exchanges, although Hong Kong and Shanghai gained after a promising residential property sales report from the mainland.

The Central Bank of Russia raised its key policy interest rate by 200 basis points to 21.0%, as inflation is "considerably" above the July projections, the monetary authority said in a prepared statement. The central bank has a target rate of inflation of 4% but reported an 8.6% annual rate of inflation for September.

The pan-continental Stoxx Europe 600 Index was off 0.2% mid-session.

The Stoxx Europe 600 Technology Index was off 0.1%, and the Stoxx 600 Banks Index gained 0.1%.

The Stoxx Europe 600 Oil and Gas Index was up 0.3%, but the Stoxx 600 Europe Food and Beverage Index declined 0.6%.

The REITE, a European REIT index, fell 0.3%, but the Stoxx Europe 600 Retail Index declined 0.8%.

On the national market indexes, Germany's DAX was off marginally, and the FTSE 100 in London was down 0.2%. The CAC 40 in Paris was off 0.3%, and Spain's IBEX 35 lost 0.4%.

Yields on benchmark 10-year German bonds were higher, near 2.28%.

Front-month North Sea Brent crude-oil futures were up 0.8% to $74.97 per barrel.

The Euro Stoxx 50 volatility index was down 0.4% to 19.07, 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.