07:45 AM EDT, 06/16/2025 (MT Newswires) -- European bourses tracked moderately higher midday Monday as traders await clarity on Middle East conflicts but evidently downplay odds for a wider conflagration.

Bank and oil stocks led gainers, while food shares lagged.

Oil prices eased from weekend levels.

Investors also eyed Wall Street futures signaling green amid higher closes overnight on Asian exchanges.

In economic news, Italy's consumer price index in May rose 1.6% year over year, compared with a 1.9% increase posted a month earlier, Istat reported.

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

The Stoxx Europe 600 Technology Index was flat, while the Stoxx 600 Banks Index gained 1.2%.

The Stoxx Europe 600 Oil and Gas Index was up 1.1%, while the Stoxx 600 Europe Food and Beverage Index declined 0.7%.

The REITE, a European REIT index, gained 0.2%, while the Stoxx Europe 600 Retail Index declined 0.1%.

On the national market indexes, Germany's DAX was up 0.4%, and the FTSE 100 in London was 0.5% higher. The CAC 40 in Paris was up 0.7%, and Spain's IBEX 35 rose 1%.

Yields on benchmark 10-year German bonds were steady, near 2.55%.

Front-month North Sea Brent crude-oil futures were down 0.8% at $73.67 per barrel.

The Euro Stoxx 50 volatility index was down 3.5% at 20.45, but still indicating above-average volatility for European stock markets in the next 30 days, a negative signal. A reading above 20 indicates choppier markets ahead, while below 20 suggests calmer exchanges.