Egyptian Stock Exchange losses in the first trading session of 2026
The Egyptian Stock Exchange began its first trading session of the new year 2026 with a declining performance, as the indices were all in the red in a corrective move that came after the market recorded record and historic gains throughout the past year 2025.
The opening session of the year witnessed selling pressure, leading to a 0.7% decline in the market capitalization of listed companies by midday, resulting in market losses of approximately 21 billion Egyptian pounds. Market capitalization fell from its record high of 2.998 trillion Egyptian pounds at the close of last week and the previous year, reaching approximately 2.977 trillion Egyptian pounds.
Key indicators performance
On the indices front, the market was affected by the natural profit-taking that follows major gains, with the main index of the Egyptian Exchange, EGX 30, declining by 1.42% to trade at 41,235 points. Other indices were not immune to this decline, as the EGX 70 EWI (Equal Weighted Index) for small and medium-sized companies fell slightly by 0.08% to 13,114 points, while the broader EGX 100 EWI recorded losses of 0.31%, reaching 17,372 points.
Trading volumes during that time reached approximately 585.4 million shares, with a total trading value of 1.27 billion pounds, executed through more than 54,590 transactions, reflecting a remarkable activity in buying and selling despite the decline.
Investor and stock movements
Regarding investor activity, Arab and foreign institutions and investors were net sellers, with net sales of EGP 21.5 million and EGP 8.4 million, respectively. This move is interpreted economically as an attempt to realize quick profits at the start of the year. In contrast, Egyptian investors bucked this trend, recording net purchases of EGP 30.08 million, reflecting local investor confidence in the market's ability to recover.
At the stock level, 214 stocks were traded, of which 91 rose, while the prices of 72 stocks declined, and 51 stocks remained stable with little change.
Historical background: The legacy of the year 2025
This decline at the start of 2026 comes after an exceptional year for the Egyptian Stock Exchange; 2025 witnessed unprecedented growth, with market capitalization surging by 38.2%, representing a massive gain of EGP 829 billion. Market capitalization rose from EGP 2.169 trillion at the beginning of 2025 to nearly EGP 3 trillion by the end of the year.
The main index, EGX 30, also witnessed a jump of 40.6% during the past year, adding more than 12,000 points to its balance, which makes the current decline at the beginning of 2026 an expected matter within the economic cycles of the financial markets, as strong rises are often followed by temporary corrective waves to rebuild the financial positions of investors.
