Oil, Fed Outlooks Undergird European Bourses Midday

08:03 AM EDT, 08/28/2026 (MT Newswires) -- European bourses tracked moderately higher midday Friday as traders awaited pending comments from the US Federal Reserve chief, and weighed easing crude oil prices. Kevin Warsh, Fed chair, is slated to give a 10 am ET presentation at the central bank's annual Jackson Hole symposium in Wyoming, which may provide clues to the bank's leanings. Bank and oil stocks led gains on continental trading floors, while property shares lagged. Investors also eyed muted Wall Street futures, and unevenly higher closes overnight on Asian exchanges. Front-month North Sea Brent crude-oil futures were down 0.6% at $88.02 a barrel, in midday action. In economic news, the Eurozone consumer confidence index logged at negative 15.5 in August, improving from negative 15.9 in July, the European Commission reported. In the broader European Union, consumer confidence posted at negative 15.0 in August, from negative 15.1 in July. The pan-continental Stoxx Europe 600 Index was up 0.5% mid-session. The Stoxx Europe 600 Technology Index was down 0.1%, and the Stoxx 600 Banks Index gained 0.7%. The Stoxx Europe 600 Oil and Gas Index rose 0.6%, while the Stoxx 600 Europe Food and Beverage Index was steady. The REITE, a European REIT index, fell 0.2%. On the national market indexes, Germany's DAX was up 0.5%, and the FTSE 100 in London gained 0.2%. The CAC 40 in Paris was up 1%, and Spain's IBEX 35 lifted 0.5%. Yields on benchmark 10-year German bonds were higher, near 3.28%. The Euro Stoxx 50 volatility index was down 3.5% at 15.19, 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.