07:49 AM EDT, 05/21/2024 (MT Newswires) -- European bourses tracked moderately lower midday Tuesday as traders booked profits in indices trading near all-time zeniths, and weighed red-zone reports from Asian exchanges.

Property and retail shares barely held ground, while bank and oil issues lagged.

Investors also eyed flat Wall Street futures, and weak property-sector shares in China.

The UK economy will expand by 0.7% in 2024, an improvement from the previous 0.5% forecast made last month, the International Monetary Fund said,

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

The Stoxx Europe 600 Technology Index was off 0.4%, and the Stoxx 600 Banks Index lost 1.2%.

The Stoxx Europe 600 Oil and Gas Index was off 0.6%, and the Stoxx 600 Europe Food and Beverage Index declined 0.8%.

The REITE, a European REIT index, was flat, and the Stoxx Europe 600 Retail Index was also flat.

On the national market indexes, Germany's DAX was down 0.5%, and the FTSE 100 in London was down 0.4%. The CAC 40 in Paris was off 1%, and Spain's IBEX 35 lost 0.2%.

Yields on benchmark 10-year German bonds were lower, near 2.52%.

Front-month North Sea Brent crude-oil futures were down 1.7% to $78.45 per barrel.

The Euro Stoxx 50 volatility index was up 3.2% to 12.84, 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.