07:43 AM EDT, 08/14/2024 (MT Newswires) -- European bourses tracked moderately higher midday Wednesday as traders awaited the pending inflation report from Washington, and weighed prospects for possible central bank easing as prices cool.

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

Investors also eyed muted Wall Street futures, but higher closes overnight on Asian exchanges outside of Hong Kong and Shanghai.

Seasonally adjusted gross domestic product, or GDP, increased by 0.3% in both the euro area and the broader European Union compared with the previous quarter, reported Eurostat. On year, GDP rose by 0.6% in the euro area and by 0.8% in the EU.

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

The Stoxx Europe 600 Technology Index was up 0.8%, and the Stoxx 600 Banks Index gained 0.3%.

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

The REITE, a European REIT index, rose 0.3%, and the Stoxx Europe 600 Retail Index inclined 0.6%.

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

Yields on benchmark 10-year German bonds were higher, near 2.20%.

Front-month North Sea Brent crude-oil futures were down 0.2% to $80.51 per barrel.

The Euro Stoxx 50 volatility index was down 3.3% to 17.74, 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.