07:53 AM EDT, 05/16/2024 (MT Newswires) -- European bourses tracked modestly lower midday Thursday as certain stocks, such as German manufacturing giants and index heavyweights BMW and Daimler Truck, traded ex-dividend.

In addition, easing crude prices pressured energy issues, and traders weighed values in equities markets trading near all-time highs.

Tech stocks bucked trends to gain, while oil and retail issues lagged.

Investors also eyed Wall Street futures signaling green, and solidly higher closes overnight on Asian exchanges.

Consumer prices in Italy in April rose 0.8% on the year in April, down from the 1.2% year-on-year rise logged in March, the Italian National Institute of Statistics reported.

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

The Stoxx Europe 600 Technology Index was up 0.6%, and the Stoxx 600 Banks Index gained 0.2%.

The Stoxx Europe 600 Oil and Gas Index was off 1.3%, but the Stoxx 600 Europe Food and Beverage Index inclined 0.1%.

The REITE, a European REIT index, fell 0.3%, and the Stoxx Europe 600 Insurance Index declined 0.5%.

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

Yields on benchmark 10-year German bonds were higher, near 2.43%.

Front-month North Sea Brent crude oil futures were up 0.1% to $82.81 per barrel.

The Euro Stoxx 50 volatility index was down 2.8% to 12.73, 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.