07:46 AM EDT, 05/09/2025 (MT Newswires) -- European bourses tracked moderately higher midday Friday as investors await the Beijing-Washington trade talks slated for this weekend in Switzerland, and digested the US-UK trade deal announced Thursday.

Oil, tech and bank stocks led gains on the continent.

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

In economic news, new German Chancellor Friedrich Merz called for lifting all tariffs between the US and the European Union in a late Thursday telephone call with US President Donald Trump, media outlets reported.

The pan-continental Stoxx Europe 600 Index was up 0.5% mid-session.

The Stoxx Europe 600 Technology Index was up 0.5%, and the Stoxx 600 Banks Index gained 0.4%.

The Stoxx Europe 600 Oil and Gas Index was up 2.3%, while the Stoxx 600 Europe Food and Beverage Index added 0.2%.

The REITE, a European REIT index was steady, but the Stoxx Europe 600 Retail Index inclined 1.6%.

On the national market indexes, Germany's DAX was up 0.4%, and the FTSE 100 in London advanced 0.3%. The CAC 40 in Paris was up 0.5%, and Spain's IBEX 35 gained 0.2%.

Yields on benchmark 10-year German bonds were lower, near 2.56%.

Front-month North Sea Brent crude-oil futures were up 1.7% at $63.93 per barrel.

The Euro Stoxx 50 volatility index was down 1.7% at 20.27, indicating average volatility for European stock markets in the next 30 days, a neutral signal. A reading above 20 indicates choppier markets ahead, while below 20 suggests calmer exchanges.