07:45 AM EDT, 05/10/2024 (MT Newswires) -- European bourses tracked solidly higher midday Friday as traders weighed outlooks for monetary easing from major Western central banks, and digested the earnings season.

Record highs were breached in London, Frankfurt, and Paris, led by bank and energy stocks.

Investors also eyed Wall Street futures signaling green, and higher closes overnight on Asian exchanges, led by a 2.3% rise in Hong Kong's Hang Seng Index.

The UK gross domestic product (GDP) expanded 0.6% in Q1 quarter-over-quarter, and was up 0.2% on year, reported the Office for National Statistics.

The pan-continental Stoxx Europe 600 Index was up 0.8% mid-session.

The Stoxx Europe 600 Technology Index was up 0.6%, and the Stoxx 600 Banks Index gained 0.8%.

The Stoxx Europe 600 Oil and Gas Index was up 1.4%, and the Stoxx 600 Europe Food and Beverage Index inclined 0.4%.

The REITE, a European REIT index, rose 0.5%, and the Stoxx Europe 600 Insurance Index inclined 0.7%.

On the national market indexes, Germany's DAX was up 0.5%, and the FTSE 100 in London was up 0.8%. The CAC 40 in Paris was up 0.7%, and Spain's IBEX 35 gained 0.6%.

Yields on benchmark 10-year German bonds were lower, near 2.48%.

Front-month North Sea Brent crude oil futures were up 0.6% to $84.39 per barrel.

The Euro Stoxx 50 volatility index was up 0.1% to 13.48, 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.