Market Report: Egypt stocks welcome a clear playing field

Egyptian stocks swung back into the green on the last trading day of the week as the peaceful staging of a major football match in Cairo gave investors confidence in the country's security despite recent political violence.

The benchmark EGX30 finished Thursday up 1.69 per cent at 5,373 points, going some way to recouping Wednesday's losses when the index dropped 2.01 per cent after Tuesday night crackdowns by security forces on protesters in central Cairo saw over 1,000 injured.

“When the Ahly-Zalamek [football] match was carried on as scheduled it sent a message that everything is normal and under control,” said Issa Fathy, vice president of the securities division at Cairo's Chamber of Commerce.