Egypt Targets 7-8% Sustainable Annual Growth

The Mosque of Muhammad Ali is seen shrouded in fog at the Saladin Citadel fortification in Cairo, Egypt, 12 September 2023. (EPA)
The Mosque of Muhammad Ali is seen shrouded in fog at the Saladin Citadel fortification in Cairo, Egypt, 12 September 2023. (EPA)
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Egypt Targets 7-8% Sustainable Annual Growth

The Mosque of Muhammad Ali is seen shrouded in fog at the Saladin Citadel fortification in Cairo, Egypt, 12 September 2023. (EPA)
The Mosque of Muhammad Ali is seen shrouded in fog at the Saladin Citadel fortification in Cairo, Egypt, 12 September 2023. (EPA)

Egypt’s Planning Minister Dr. Hala El-Saied said Egypt is targeting sustainable annual growth ranging between 7 to 8 percent.

Speaking at the "Story of a Homeland” conference that was inaugurated by President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi on Saturday, she added that despite diverse sources the growth remains unsustainable.

The minister remarked that Egypt aims to boost private sector investments from 36 percent to 65 percent of the overall investments by 2030.

The government is seeking to increase exports to $100 billion during the next five years to attract private investments worth $40 billion by 2060, and to proceed with its plans to boost the private sector's role in the economy.

Speaking at the same event, Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouli said Egypt would manage to produce all its petroleum products next year.

He added that crude oil will continue to be imported but will be refined in the country.

The PM said that the project to double the Suez Canal has replaced the idea of alternative routes.

Egypt plans to expand the length of the canal from 72 kilometers to 82 kilometers.

The canal is a prime source of foreign currency to Egypt.

Sisi had previously stated that the revenue generated from the Suez Canal is anticipated to reach $10.5 billion by the end of the year.

The annual revenues of the canal reached $9.4 billion during the 2022/2023 fiscal year, announced Suez Canal Authority (SCA) chief Osama Rabie in July.

During the G20 summit hosted by India last month, a memorandum of understanding was signed to set up the India-Middle East-Europe Economic Corridor. The IMEC project envisages laying down, alongside the railway line, cables for electricity and digital connectivity, as well as pipelines for clean/green hydrogen export.

Madbouli added that Egypt aims to increase the number of tourists from 15 million annually to 30 million in the next five years.



Dollar Set to End Week on a High on US Rates, Economic Outlook

A teller sorts US dollar banknotes inside the cashier's booth at a forex exchange bureau in downtown Nairobi, Kenya February 16, 2024. REUTERS/Thomas Mukoya/File photo
A teller sorts US dollar banknotes inside the cashier's booth at a forex exchange bureau in downtown Nairobi, Kenya February 16, 2024. REUTERS/Thomas Mukoya/File photo
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Dollar Set to End Week on a High on US Rates, Economic Outlook

A teller sorts US dollar banknotes inside the cashier's booth at a forex exchange bureau in downtown Nairobi, Kenya February 16, 2024. REUTERS/Thomas Mukoya/File photo
A teller sorts US dollar banknotes inside the cashier's booth at a forex exchange bureau in downtown Nairobi, Kenya February 16, 2024. REUTERS/Thomas Mukoya/File photo

The dollar was on track for its strongest weekly performance since early December on Friday, propped up by expectations that the US economy will continue to outperform its peers globally this year and US interest rates will stay elevated for longer.

The greenback began the new year on a strong note, reaching a more than two-year high of 109.54 against a basket of currencies on Thursday as it extended a stellar rally from last year. A more hawkish Fed and a resilient US economy have led US Treasury yields to rise, prompting the dollar to charge higher.

Coupled with expectations that policies by US President-elect Donald Trump will boost growth this year and potentially add to price pressures, the dollar now looks relentless.

"Looks like dollar strength is here to stay for now in early 2025 given the US exceptionalism story is here to stay, and it still comes with high US yields," said Charu Chanana, chief investment strategist at Saxo, Reuters reported.

"Add to that the uncertainty from policies of the incoming (Donald) Trump administration, and you also get the safety aspect of the dollar looking attractive." Uncertainties over how Trump's plans for hefty import tariffs, tax cuts and immigration restrictions will affect global markets has in turn given the greenback additional safe haven support. Jobless claims data on Thursday confirmed a resilient US labor market, with the number of Americans filing new applications for unemployment benefits dropping to an eight-month low last week. The dollar index last stood at 109, down 0.2% on the day, but on track for a weekly gain of just under 1%, its strongest since early December.

Other currencies attempted to rebound against the firm dollar on Friday, still tracking steep losses on the week. The euro was last up 0.28% at $1.02950 but was headed for a 1.3% weekly decline, its worst since November.

The common currency was among the biggest losers against a towering dollar, having tumbled 0.86% in the previous session to a more than two-year low of $1.022475.

Traders are pricing in more than 100 basis points worth of rate cuts from the European Central Bank next year, while they expect just about 45 bps of easing from the Fed.

Uncertainties around trade policies of the incoming Trump administration are also weighing on the outlook for the euro looking ahead, along with China's yuan and some other emerging market currencies.

"We expect Trump's policy mix to trigger further dollar strengthening, with European currencies – and the euro in particular – coming under pressure from protectionism and monetary easing," said ING analysts in a note. Similarly, sterling ticked up 0.22% to $1.24065, after sliding 1.16% on Thursday. It was on track to lose roughly 1.4% for the week. Elsewhere, the yen rose around 0.24% to 157.085 per dollar, but was not far from an over five-month low of 158.09 per dollar hit in December. The Japanese currency has been a victim of the stark interest rate differential between the US and Japan for over two years now, with the Bank of Japan's caution over further rate increases spelling more pain for the yen.

The yen tumbled more than 10% in 2024, extending its losses into a fourth straight year. China's onshore yuan hit its weakest level in over a year at 7.3190 per dollar, as falling yields and expectations of more domestic rate cuts continued to weigh on the currency.