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Egypt Rejoins JP Morgan Emerging Market Bond Index

General view of hotels, banks, and office buildings by the Nile River in Cairo (Reuters)
General view of hotels, banks, and office buildings by the Nile River in Cairo (Reuters)
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Egypt Rejoins JP Morgan Emerging Market Bond Index

General view of hotels, banks, and office buildings by the Nile River in Cairo (Reuters)
General view of hotels, banks, and office buildings by the Nile River in Cairo (Reuters)

Egypt joined the JP Morgan Emerging Market Bond Index (EMBI) Monday to become the second country in the Middle East and Africa to be listed in the index.

A press statement published by the government on its official Facebook page stated that with an estimated weight of 1.85 percent, Egypt is expected to enter the index with 14 bonds valued at $26 billion.

Finance Minister Mohamed Maait said that the Ministry has sought to enable Egypt to rejoin the EMBI for three years after the country had been removed from the index in June 2011 for not meeting requirements.

The Minister said Egypt had fulfilled the bank's requirements to rejoin the index, including extending the life of government debt, adjusting the yield curve, and promoting foreign investors' participation in government financial instruments.

Maait indicated that Egypt's accession to the JP Morgan government bond index for emerging markets is a new certificate of confidence from foreign investors in the solidity of the Egyptian economy.

The Minister explained that this confirms that 90 percent of the surveyed foreign investors supported Egypt's entry into the index.

The step reflects the continuous efforts of the Ministry of Finance to reduce the cost of public debt as part of the package of measures taken by the state for economic reforms, according to Maait.

Meanwhile, advisor to the Deputy Minister of Finance, Nevine Mansour, said Egypt would join the JP Morgan Environmental and Governance Index based on the launch of green bonds in October 2020.

Egypt's percentage in this index is 1.18 percent, reflecting the country's presence on the map of sustainable economies and the country's orientation towards green debt tools.

Deputy Minister of Finance for Financial Policies and Institutional Development Ahmed Kojak stated that Egypt's inclusion in the indicator translates the efforts of the Ministry of Finance and would contribute to achieving one of the Egyptian government's debt management strategy objectives, which is to reduce the cost of financing.

It also helps activate the stock market to increase its levels of liquidity and enhance the demand for government debt instruments, which would reduce its cost through the decline in the return required by investors.

Kajok expects Egypt to issue international bonds worth $5 billion in the 2022-2023 fiscal year, which begins next July.

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Dollar Drifts as Traders Grapple with Tariff Uncertainty, Volatility

A teller counts US dollar bank notes at a money changer in Jakarta, Indonesia, April 9, 2025. Picture taken through glass. REUTERS/Willy Kurniawan/File Photo
A teller counts US dollar bank notes at a money changer in Jakarta, Indonesia, April 9, 2025. Picture taken through glass. REUTERS/Willy Kurniawan/File Photo
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Dollar Drifts as Traders Grapple with Tariff Uncertainty, Volatility

A teller counts US dollar bank notes at a money changer in Jakarta, Indonesia, April 9, 2025. Picture taken through glass. REUTERS/Willy Kurniawan/File Photo
A teller counts US dollar bank notes at a money changer in Jakarta, Indonesia, April 9, 2025. Picture taken through glass. REUTERS/Willy Kurniawan/File Photo

The dollar wobbled on Tuesday, languishing near a three-year low against the euro and a six-month trough against the yen it hit last week, as investors struggled to make sense of the back-and-forth changes on US tariffs.

Still, currency markets were a lot calmer in Asian hours after last week's turmoil that badly bruised the dollar despite a surge in Treasury yields, highlighting shaky investor confidence in the greenback and US assets.

The dollar was slightly weaker at 142.99 yen, staying close to the six-month low of 142.05 it touched on Friday. The euro last fetched $1.136, just below the three-year high of $1.1474 hit last week.

After slumping to a 10-year low against the Swiss franc last week, the dollar was 0.2% higher on Tuesday. Still, the dollar is down nearly 8% against the Swiss franc this month, set for its biggest monthly drop since December 2008, Reuters reported.

Market focus has been on the ever-shifting tariff headlines with the US removing smartphones and other electronics from its duties on China over the weekend providing some relief, although comments from President Donald Trump suggested the reprieve is likely to be for a short time.

Trump's imposition and then abrupt postponement of most tariffs on goods imported to the US has sowed confusion, adding to the uncertainty for investors and policymakers around the world.

Kieran Williams, head of Asia FX at InTouch Capital Markets, said the policy uncertainty and erosion in investor confidence are fuelling a slow but steady rotation out of dollar assets.

"The recent backpedaling on US tariffs has eased some of the acute market anxiety, softening the dollar’s safe-haven appeal in the near term."

The yield on the benchmark US 10-year Treasury note eased 1.5 basis points to 4.348% after dropping nearly 13 basis points in the previous session.

The yields had risen about 50 bps last week in the biggest weekly gain in over two decades as analysts and investors questioned US bonds' status as the world’s safest assets.

"Last week was all about deleveraging, liquidation, and asset re-allocation out of US assets. This week's tone is calmer in what is a holiday shortened week," said Prashant Newnaha, senior Asia-Pacific rates strategist at TD Securities.

"Helping to set the tone were dovish comments from Fed officials suggesting they are looking beyond inflation."

Fed Governor Christopher Waller said on Monday the Trump administration's tariff policies are a major shock to the US economy that could lead the Federal Reserve to cut interest rates to head off a recession even if inflation remains high.

Traders are pricing in 86 bps of cuts from the Fed for the rest of the year, LSEG data showed.

The dollar index, which measures the US currency against six other units, was at 99.641, not far from the three-year low it touched last week. The index is down over 4% this month, set for its biggest monthly drop since November 2022.

Sterling last bought $1.3215. The Australian dollar rose 0.66% to $0.6369, while the New Zealand dollar surged to its highest in four and half months and was last 0.88% higher at $0.5926.