European bourses tracked evenly midday Thursday as traders weighed firming interest rates and higher oil prices, and awaited developments in the Persian Gulf.

Oil and property stocks led gains on continental trading floors, while food shares lagged.

Front-month North Sea Brent crude-oil futures were up 2.9% at $94.27 a barrel.

Investors also eyed muted Wall Street futures amid higher closes overnight on Asian exchanges.

In economic news, seasonally adjusted construction output in the euro area fell by 1.3% month over month in June, and declined 0.7% year over year, Eurostat reported. For the broader EU, output fell 1% month over month in June, but gained 0.2% year over year.

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

The Stoxx Europe 600 Technology Index was down 0.2%, and the Stoxx 600 Banks Index gained 0.1%.

The Stoxx Europe 600 Oil and Gas Index rose 0.7%, while the Stoxx 600 Europe Food and Beverage Index was flat.

The REITE, a European REIT index, rose 0.4%.

On the national market indexes, Germany's DAX was down 0.4%, and the FTSE 100 in London lost 0.3%. The CAC 40 in Paris was down 0.3%, while Spain's IBEX 35 gained 0.1%.

Yields on benchmark 10-year German bonds were higher, near 3.27%.

The Euro Stoxx 50 volatility index was down 3.3% at 16.18, 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.