06:49 AM EST, 01/16/2025 (MT Newswires) -- European bourses tracked moderately higher midday Thursday after a strong sales report from a major luxury-goods house, and strong earnings release overnight from industry bellwether Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing.

Tech and retail stocks led gainers, while property issues lagged.

Swiss luxury house Compagnie Financiere Richemont shares jumped 16.8% mid-session after the owner of the Cartier brand reported double-digit holiday sales increases.

Investors also eyed Wall Street futures signaling green, and solidly higher closes overnight on Asian exchanges on the outlook for US economic growth and possible Federal Reserve accommodation in 2025.

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

The Stoxx Europe 600 Technology Index was up 1.7%, and the Stoxx 600 Banks Index gained 0.4%.

The Stoxx Europe 600 Oil and Gas Index was up 0.2%, and the Stoxx 600 Europe Food and Beverage Index inclined 0.5%.

The REITE, a European REIT index, fell 0.8%, but the Stoxx Europe 600 Retail Index inclined 1.2%.

On the national market indexes, Germany's DAX was up 0.1%, and the FTSE 100 in London was up 0.7%. The CAC 40 in Paris was up 2%, but Spain's IBEX 35 lost 0.3%.

Yields on benchmark 10-year German bonds were higher, near 2.54%.

Front-month North Sea Brent crude-oil futures were down 0.5% to $81.50 per barrel.

The Euro Stoxx 50 volatility index was down 5.2% to 15.50, 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.