-- European bourses tracked modestly higher midday Tuesday as traders monitored the corporate earnings season and weighed news reports regarding the still-closed Strait of Hormuz.
Oil and bank stocks led gains on continental trading floors, while property shares lagged.
BP stock was up 3% midday after the company reported higher Q1 underlying replacement cost profit and sales.
Investors also eyed Wall Street futures in the red amid mostly lower closes overnight on Asian exchanges.
In economic news, continental consumers in March expected inflation in the next 12 months to log at 4%, up from the 2.5% rate in February, the European Central Bank reported.
The pan-continental Stoxx Europe 600 Index was up 0.1% mid-session.
The Stoxx Europe 600 Technology Index was down 0.8%, while the Stoxx 600 Banks Index advanced 1.3%.
The Stoxx Europe 600 Oil and Gas Index rose 1.6%, while the Stoxx 600 Europe Food and Beverage Index edged 0.8% higher.
The REITE, a European REIT index, declined 0.7%.
On the national market indexes, Germany's DAX was up 0.2%, and the FTSE 100 in London gained 0.3%. The CAC 40 in Paris was up 0.3%, and Spain's IBEX 35 lifted 1%.
Yields on benchmark 10-year German bonds were higher, near 3.07%.
Front-month North Sea Brent crude-oil futures were up 3.1% at $104.83 a barrel.
The Euro Stoxx 50 volatility index was down 1% at 23.72, still indicating above-average volatility for European stock markets in the next 30 days, a negative signal. A reading above 20 indicates choppier markets ahead, while below 20 suggests calmer exchanges.