The Egyptian stock market index gained 1.7 billion EGP (U.S. $285.6 million) today on the first day of Ramadan. The gains can be traced largely to foreign purchasing in the second half of the session, as Arab and Egyptian transactions declined in the same session. The main stock index EGX 30 rose 0.8 percent, closing at 5075 points, while the EGX 70 and EGX 100 gained 0.06 percent and 0.20 percent, respectively. Shares making gains today include: Commercial International Bank, up 0.78 percent; Qalaa, up 0.62 percent; Egypt Telecom, up 1.20 percent; Orascom Telecom, up 1.04 percent; El Saeed El Amma Contracting Co., up 2.6 percent; Palm Hills, up 1.4 percent; and Mobinil, up 0.70 percent. Egyptian investors, at 94.4 percent, made the lion's share of transactions for a total of 3.09 million EGP (U.S. $519,074). Foreign trading comprised 4.35 percent of transactions for a total of 17.2 million EGP (U.S. $2.89 million) and Arab transactions took 1.25 percent for a total of 14.1 million EGP (U.S. $ 2.37 million). Institutional trading comprised 87.44 percent of total transactions at 9.9 million EGP (U.S. $1.66 million), while individual transactions represented 12.55 percent of transactions at 9.9 million EGP.
