07:44 AM EDT, 08/13/2024 (MT Newswires) -- European bourses opened higher but tracked modestly lower midday Tuesday as traders awaited inflation reports from the US and mulled geopolitical turmoil.

Property stocks bucked trends to edge higher, while retail shares led laggards lower.

Investors also eyed Wall Street futures modestly signaling green and higher closes overnight on Asian exchanges, marked by a 3.5% tech-led rally on the Nikkei 225 index in Tokyo.

Germany's Economic Sentiment Index dropped to 19.2 in August from 41.8 in July, the Centre for European Economic Research (ZEW) reported. August marked the strongest decline in sentiment index in two years, ZEW said.

Geopolitical tensions and soft China demand undercut sentiments, ZEW added.

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

The Stoxx Europe 600 Technology Index was 0.4% lower, and the Stoxx 600 Banks Index lost 0.1%.

The Stoxx Europe 600 Oil and Gas Index was off 0.1%, and the Stoxx 600 Europe Food and Beverage Index declined 0.2%.

The REITE, a European REIT index, gained 0.2%, while the Stoxx Europe 600 Retail Index was down 0.5%.

On the national market indexes, Germany's DAX was flat, and the FTSE 100 in London was down 0.1%. The CAC 40 in Paris was off 0.2%, while Spain's IBEX 35 gained 0.4%.

Yields on benchmark 10-year German bonds were lower, near 2.2%.

Front-month North Sea Brent crude oil futures were down 0.3% at $82.04 per barrel.

The Euro Stoxx 50 volatility index was up 2.4% at 19.77, still 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.