07:40 AM EDT, 07/02/2026 (MT Newswires) -- European bourses tracked moderately higher midday Thursday as oil prices again eased, and as consumer stocks gained favor among traders.

Sodexo shares traded up 9% midday after the French food caterer bumped up full-year organic revenue growth guidance.

Bank shares also led gains on continental trading floors, while tech equities lagged.

Front-month North Sea Brent crude-oil futures were down 1.5% at $70.47 a barrel.

Additionally, investors eyed muted Wall Street futures, and unevenly lower closes overnight on Asian exchanges, as AI- and semiconductor-related stocks retreated in Tokyo and Seoul.

In economic news, the euro area's seasonally adjusted unemployment rate logged at 6.2% in May, and at 5.9% in the broader European Union, reported Eurostat.

The pan-continental Stoxx Europe 600 Index was up 0.6% mid-session.

The Stoxx Europe 600 Technology Index was down 1.7%, but the Stoxx 600 Banks Index gained 1%.

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

The REITE, a European REIT index, rose 0.5%.

On the national market indexes, Germany's DAX was up 0.9%, and the FTSE 100 in London gained 0.4%. The CAC 40 in Paris was up 0.9%, and Spain's IBEX 35 lifted 1%.

Yields on benchmark 10-year German bonds were higher, near 2.97%.

The Euro Stoxx 50 volatility index was up 0.4% at 16.21, 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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