Non-Arab and institutional buying pushed Egyptian indexes up on Monday, traders said. Despite declines in world markets, Egypt's main index EGX 30 added 45 points, they added. The North African country's benchmark index EGX 30 rose by 0.67 per cent, ending the day's trading at 6,801.66 points. The EGX 70 index, which measures 70 of the country's small and mid caps, added 1.07 per cent to 755.63 points. Volume hit LE797 million ($146 million), according to the Egyptian Exchange. Orascom Construction Industries, Egypt's largest builder by market value, inched up by 1.39 per cent, closing at LE263.05 per share. Orascom Telecom, the largest Arab mobile operator by subscribers, dipped by 2.9 per cent to LE6.20 per share. Meanwhile, world shares sank to a three-month low as concerns about Greece's debts and a reminder of the challenges China faces to curb inflation stung risk demand, helping push the dollar to a six-month high versus a currency basket, Reuters reported. The Morgan Stanley Capital International (MSCI) world equity index fell to its weakest level since early November, as investors cut exposure to risky trades while Athens scrambles to convince its European colleagues it will do what it takes to repair its finances. Speculation that China may have to tighten monetary policy picked up after business polls on Monday showed strong growth and higher inflation. This put selling pressure on high-risk, commodity-linked currencies, which are seen suffering on any tempering in Chinese growth, and helped lift the dollar index as high as 79.534, its highest since late July. Higher risk aversion increased the dollar's safe-haven appeal, lifting the US currency's trade-weighted index and keeping it near a seven-month high against the euro of $1.3852 hit early on Monday. The high-yielding Australian and New Zealand dollars hit their weakest in more than a month against their US counterpart. Risk appetite continues to suffer as markets wait to see if Greece will come up with a decisive plan to shore up its finances and cut its debts. The European Union is seen telling Greece to act by mid-May to improve its books. Concerns about Athens's fiscal situation has triggered heavy selling in Greek bonds, whose yield spreads against German debt blew out to their widest levels on record last week. The ten-year Greek government bond yielded some 358 basis points more than benchmark German Bunds, compared with around 360 bps late on Friday, and was well off the euro lifetime high of around 405 bps set last week. Concerns about sovereign debt in Greece and other euro zone nations including Spain and Portugal have triggered selling in their government bonds, which has boosted demand for German bonds, which are considered to be safer. Ten-year Bund futures edged up 14 ticks to 123.52, staying close to 123.70 hit late last week, its highest since early December.
