07:44 AM EDT, 10/28/2024 (MT Newswires) -- European bourses tracked modestly lower midday Monday, as oil company shares sank after Israeli military strikes on Iran excluded petroleum facilities.

Property and retail stocks gained, while tech issues edged lower.

Investors also eyed Wall Street futures signaling green, but choppy closes overnight on Asian exchanges.

Demand in Europe for consumer products will likely not "improve materially from current levels for the rest of 2024 and potentially" in H1 of 2025, advised Fitch Ratings, in a report released Monday. "Consumer confidence indices still have not recovered to pre-pandemic levels, despite reduced inflation."

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

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

The Stoxx Europe 600 Oil and Gas Index was off 2.1%, and the Stoxx 600 Europe Food and Beverage Index declined 0.03%.

The REITE, a European REIT index, rose 0.3%, and the Stoxx Europe 600 Retail Index inclined 0.1%.

On the national market indexes, Germany's DAX 30 was down 0.2%, and the resource-heavy FTSE 100 in London was down 0.3%. The CAC 40 in Paris was up 0.1%, and Spain's IBEX 35 gained 0.3%.

Yields on benchmark 10-year German bonds were lower, near 2.285%.

Front-month North Sea Brent crude-oil futures were down 5.5% to $71.47 per barrel.

The Euro Stoxx 50 volatility index was up 1.9% to 19.305, 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.