07:54 AM EDT, 03/27/2025 (MT Newswires) -- European bourses tracked lower midday Thursday as traders mulled proposed higher US tariffs on imported automobiles and better earnings by a key UK retailer.

Retail stocks bucked trends to gain, while bank, technology, and oil issues lagged.

Investors also eyed muted Wall Street futures, but unevenly lower closes overnight on Asian exchanges.

British retailer Next's shares rose 6.3% midday, after the clothing and home-furnishings purveyor reported solid profits and issued an upbeat guidance.

US President Donald Trump's trade restrictions will harm the Latvia and the European Union export-driven economies, resulting in weaker growth, said European Central Bank member and Latvian Central Bank Governor Martins Kazaks, speaking to Rita Panorama Latvian television.

The pan-continental Stoxx Europe 600 Index was off 0.6% mid-session.

The Stoxx Europe 600 Technology Index was off 1%, and the Stoxx 600 Banks Index lost 0.6%.

The Stoxx Europe 600 Oil and Gas Index was off 0.7%, but the Stoxx 600 Europe Food and Beverage Index rose 0.2%.

The REITE, a European REIT index, fell 0.1%, but the Stoxx Europe 600 Retail Index inclined 1.3%.

On the national market indexes, Germany's DAX was down 0.9%, and the FTSE 100 in London was down 0.6%. The CAC 40 in Paris was off 0.5%, and Spain's IBEX 35 lost 0.2%.

Yields on benchmark 10-year German bonds were lower, near 2.77%.

Front-month North Sea Brent crude-oil futures were down 0.3% to $72.83 per barrel.

The Euro Stoxx 50 volatility index was up 3% at 19.72, indicating marginally 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.