European bourses tracked sideways midday Wednesday after US President Donald Trump unilaterally extended a Persian Gulf ceasefire on Tuesday, but the Strait of Hormuz remained closed to tanker traffic.
Property, oil, and tech stocks led gains on continental trading floors, while bank shares lagged.
Front-month North Sea Brent crude-oil futures were up 1% at $99.49 a barrel.
Investors also eyed Wall Street futures in the green amid choppy closes overnight on Asian exchanges.
In economic news, the European Commission on Wednesday proposed AccelerateEU, a set of measures to tackle fossil fuel shortages triggered by the Strait of Hormuz closure. However, the EC said true security would come from a shift to domestically produced clean energies.
The pan-continental Stoxx Europe 600 Index was stable mid-session.
The Stoxx Europe 600 Technology Index was up 1%, while the Stoxx 600 Banks Index lost 0.9%.
The Stoxx Europe 600 Oil and Gas Index rose 1.5%, while the Stoxx 600 Europe Food and Beverage Index edged 0.1% higher.
The REITE, a European REIT index, gained 0.8%.
On the national market indexes, Germany's DAX was down 0.2%, and the FTSE 100 in London was steady. The CAC 40 in Paris was down 0.4%, and Spain's IBEX 35 eased 0.4%.
Yields on benchmark 10-year German bonds were steady, near 3%.
The Euro Stoxx 50 volatility index was down 4.4% at 23.10, but 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.