07:42 AM EDT, 09/04/2025 (MT Newswires) -- European bourses tracked moderately higher midday Thursday as traders weighed easing global bond yields and prospects for rate-cuts from major central banks.

Global crude oil prices also softened.

Retail, tech and food stocks led broad market gains.

Investors also eyed Wall Street futures modestly in the green, and mixed closes overnight on Asian exchanges.

In economic news, yields on UK government bonds declined from highs reached earlier in the week, with interest rates on 30-year notes near 5.57%, back down to two-week lows.

The pan-continental Stoxx Europe 600 Index was up 0.5% mid-session.

The Stoxx Europe 600 Technology Index was 0.9% higher, and the Stoxx 600 Banks Index gained 0.6%.

The Stoxx Europe 600 Oil and Gas Index was up 0.2%, and the Stoxx 600 Europe Food and Beverage Index rose 1%.

The REITE, a European REIT index, gained 0.6%, while the Stoxx Europe 600 Retail Index was up 1.8%.

On the national market indexes, Germany's DAX was up 0.8%, and the FTSE 100 in London gained 0.2%. The CAC 40 in Paris was off 0.2%, and Spain's IBEX 35 was 0.7% higher.

Yields on benchmark 10-year German bonds were lower, near 2.72%, after nearly striking 2.80% on Tuesday.

Front-month North Sea Brent crude-oil futures were down 1.2% at $66.81 a barrel.

The Euro Stoxx 50 volatility index was down 4.4% at 17.62, 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.