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Stocks Reopen in Egypt, ETFs Bracing For Pain (EGPT, AFK)

Market Vectors Egypt Index ETF (NYSE: EGPT) is getting to live up to its reputation as a price discovery mechanism rather than as an ETF.  Egypt’s stock exchange reopened today and most shares were suspended in short order because of…

By Jon C. Ogg
Published March 23, 2011, 7:44am ET · 1 min read

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Market Vectors Egypt Index ETF (NYSE: EGPT) is getting to live up to its reputation as a price discovery mechanism rather than as an ETF.  Egypt’s stock exchange reopened today and most shares were suspended in short order because of circuit breakers that had been installed.  Many expect the 10% drop seen in most shares to widen out to even lower levels, although no published reports are really signaling a drop of mega-proportions.  MarketWatch quoted a local firm calling for 20% to 30% in price drops.

Another ETF is the Market Vectors Africa Index ETF (NYSE: AFK) and it has more than 20% weighting in Egypt.  At a close of $32.27 on Tuesday, the 52-week range is $26.60 to $36.45.

The EGX 30 Index has been closed since the end of January and shares fell nearly 10% before trade was suspended on the Egyptian Exchange.

Market Vectors Egypt Index ETF (NYSE: EGPT) is indicated down around $15.85 after having closed at $16.65 and its has a 52-week range of $15.90 to $22.42.

It will probably be next week before these ETFs normalize against benchmark index readings and against their components.

JON C. OGG

Contact [email protected] for any questions or corrections.

Jon C. Ogg

Jon Ogg has been a financial news analyst since 1997. Mr. Ogg set up one of the first audio squawk box services for traders called TTN, which he sold in 2003. He has previously worked as a licensed broker to some of the top U.S. and E.U. financial institutions, managed capital, and has raised private capital at the seed and venture stage. He has lived in Copenhagen, Denmark, as well as New York and Chicago, and he now lives in Houston, Texas. Jon received a Bachelor of Business Administration in finance at University of Houston in 1992. www.247wallst.com.

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