07:47 AM EDT, 07/03/2025 (MT Newswires) -- European bourses tracked modestly higher midday Thursday as traders weighed a possible US-European Union trade deal in the works and the pending release in Washington of the June national employment situation report.

Retail and property stocks led gainers, while tech issues lagged.

Investors also eyed flat Wall Street futures and choppy closes overnight on Asian exchanges.

In economic news, the European Commission is pondering a joint debt mechanism to access capital markets during crises, and a possible permanent framework for issuing bonds denominated in euros, the Financial Times reported.

The pan-continental Stoxx Europe 600 Index was up 0.2% mid-session.

The Stoxx Europe 600 Technology Index was down 0.1%, while the Stoxx 600 Banks Index was up 0.3%.

The Stoxx Europe 600 Oil and Gas Index was up 0.4%, while the Stoxx 600 Europe Food and Beverage Index gained 0.1%.

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

On the national market indexes, Germany's DAX was up 0.1% and the FTSE 100 in London rose 0.5%. The CAC 40 in Paris was off 0.1%, and Spain's

IBEX 35 was steady.

Yields on benchmark 10-year German bonds were lower, near 2.58%.

Front-month North Sea Brent crude-oil futures were down 0.3% at $68.93 a barrel.

The Euro Stoxx 50 volatility index was up 0.6% to 17.85, but still 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.

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