European bourses tracked solidly higher midday Friday as traders digested media reports of a possible peace deal between Washington and Tehran, and weighed sinking oil prices.
Bank, property and tech stocks led gains on continental trading floors, while oil shares lagged.
Front-month North Sea Brent crude-oil futures traded on the cusp of $87 a barrel midday, after cresting near $94 a barrel on Thursday.
Investors also eyed Wall Street futures flashing green, and solidly higher closes overnight on Asian exchanges.
In other news, Elon Musk's SpaceX is slated to start trading on the Nasdaq in New York at the opening bell, with IPO shares priced at $135 each. The offering, the largest IPO in history, plans to raise $75 billion, resulting in a $1.77 trillion market cap for the enterprise, which operates spacecraft and the Starlink satellite system.
The pan-continental Stoxx Europe 600 Index was up 1.6% mid-session.
The Stoxx Europe 600 Technology Index was up 1.4%, and the Stoxx 600 Banks Index gained 3.9%.
The Stoxx Europe 600 Oil and Gas Index eased 2.6%, while the Stoxx 600 Europe Food and Beverage Index inclined 0.8%.
The REITE, a European REIT index, rose 1.9%.
On the national market indexes, Germany's DAX was up 1.7%, and the FTSE 100 in London gained 1.3%. The CAC 40 in Paris was up 1.9%, and Spain's IBEX 35 lifted 2.3%.
Yields on benchmark 10-year German bonds were lower, near 2.99%.
The Euro Stoxx 50 volatility index was down 9.9% at 19.13, 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.