07:46 AM EDT, 10/09/2025 (MT Newswires) -- European bourses tracked unevenly midday Thursday as traders weighed announcements of a possible ceasefire in Gaza, and ongoing political turmoil in France.

In Paris, President Emmanuel Macron damped speculation of a snap election and vowed to name another prime minister within 48 hours, to fill the latest vacancy in the office.

Oil and food stocks led gainers in continental trading, while bank and retail shares lagged.

Investors also eyed muted Wall Street futures, but largely higher closes overnight on Asian exchanges on tech-sector rallies, including a fresh all-time zenith on Tokyo's benchmark Nikkei 225 index.

In economic news, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz will meet with leaders from the nation's auto industry, to discuss the downturn of the nation's flagship industrial sector.

The pan-continental Stoxx Europe 600 Index was off 0.1% mid-session.

The Stoxx Europe 600 Technology Index was down 0.1%, and the Stoxx 600 Banks Index lost 0.9%.

The Stoxx Europe 600 Oil and Gas Index was up 0.4%, and the Stoxx 600 Europe Food and Beverage Index rose 0.6%.

The REITE, a European REIT index, rose 0.1%, while the Stoxx Europe 600 Retail Index was down 0.8%.

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

Yields on benchmark 10-year German bonds were modestly higher, near 2.6826%.

Front-month North Sea Brent crude-oil futures were down 0.4% at $66.01 per barrel.

The Euro Stoxx 50 volatility index was down nearly 4% to 16.94, 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.