CAIRO: Following Sunday's deadly attacks against peaceful protesters in Cairo, the country's stock markets dropped by five percent during early trading on Monday. It was after trader's were worried that the violence that left at least 24 people dead and over 250 wounded could see continued drops in economic investment in the country. The Chairman of the Egyptian Stock Exchange Mohamed Omran was reported telling Reuters news agency that despite the drop, trading would continue. A number of traders were reported to have called on the bourse to end trading earlier, wanting to wait until the military and Egypt's Prime Minister Essam Sharaf issued more detailed statements on what would follow Sunday's violence. Egyptian main indexes EGX30 and EGX20 declined by 5.17 percent and 4.99 percent respectively. Meanwhile, EGX70 index declined by 2.49 percent and EGX100 declined by 3.13 percent. Egypt stock declined by 5 percent, at a record of 10 billion Egyptian pounds ($1.68 billion). Violent clashes killed at least 24 people in Cairo after the country's military, security forces and citizens fired upon a protest set to advocate for Coptic rights and protection in front of Egypt's Maspero state TV building on Sunday. By 1 AM on Monday morning, the military had instituted a curfew in downtown's Tahrir Square. Gunshots still rang out across the Egyptian capital, but numbers of protesters had dwindled. The protest had developed far beyond its initial Coptic rights agenda, as Egyptians of various backgrounds gathered together in mass demonstration, chanting, “Muslims and Christians are one hand,” and employing slogans against the army. BM
