07:45 AM EDT, 07/30/2024 (MT Newswires) -- European bourses tracked moderately higher midday Tuesday as traders weighed earnings and awaited a Bank of England policy decision slated for Thursday.

Tech and retail stocks led gainers, while food shares lagged.

Standard Chartered shares rose 6% midday after the UK bank posted its quarterly results, lifted income guidance, and announced its largest-ever stock repurchase program.

Yields on benchmark sovereign bonds eased, extending Monday's trends.

Investors also eyed Wall Street futures signaling green, but choppy closes overnight on Asian exchanges.

The Q2 seasonally adjusted gross domestic product increased by 0.3% quarter over quarter in both the euro area and the broader European Union, Eurostat reported.

Year over year, the euro area GDP rose by 0.6% in Q2 and the EU's by 0.7%.

The pan-continental Stoxx Europe 600 Index was up 0.4% mid-session.

The Stoxx Europe 600 Technology Index was 0.9% higher, and the Stoxx 600 Banks Index gained 0.5%.

The Stoxx Europe 600 Oil and Gas Index was up 0.4%, while the Stoxx 600 Europe Food and Beverage Index declined 0.7%.

The REITE, a European REIT index, gained 0.4%, and the Stoxx Europe 600 Retail Index edged 0.8% higher.

On the national market indexes, Germany's DAX was up 0.4%, while the FTSE 100 in London was down 0.2%. The CAC 40 in Paris was 0.4% higher, and Spain's IBEX 35 gained 0.5%.

Yields on benchmark 10-year German bonds were lower, near 2.36%.

Front-month North Sea Brent crude oil futures were down 0.5% at $78.64 per barrel.

The Euro Stoxx 50 volatility index was down 3.1% at 16.31, 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.