Egyptian external accounts have been under pressure since the beginning of the year and the outlook is uncertain. Although the current account was able to withstand external shocks thanks to the rise in gas revenues, only the massive support of the Gulf countries enabled Egypt to cope with portfolio investment outflows and to avoid a foreign exchange crisis [...]
Currency liquidity in Egypt continues to deteriorate at a rapid pace. The banking sector’s net foreign assets (commercial banks and the central bank) are deeply negative (USD -16.6 billion in May 2022) and significantly exceed the lowest level reached during the 2016 crisis (USD -13.8 billion in October 2016). This deterioration comes as no surprise and the effects of the war in Ukraine on commodity prices have only exacerbated a pre-existing trend [...]
Egypt’s economic prospects have worsened with the outbreak of war in Ukraine and its consequences for commodity prices. The widespread increase in prices will result in a significant drop in consumer purchasing power and will thus stall the main engine of economic activity [...]
The sharp rise in soft commodity prices entails a deepening of the current-account deficit. It should accelerate the deterioration in foreign currency liquidity. In this context, a renewed international financial support could be needed.
Despite a significant improvement in macroeconomic indicators over the past five years, foreign currency liquidity remains a major source of vulnerability for the Egyptian economy. The net foreign asset position of commercial banks has steadily deteriorated over the past year and was in deficit by USD10 billion in December 2021, by far its lowest level for a decade. Meanwhile, gross currency reserves at the central bank grew only very slightly over the year [...]
So far, Egypt’s economy has weathered the Covid-19 crisis without any significant worsening of its main macroeconomic indicators. GDP growth has remained positive, and the country's budget and external balances are relatively stable. The macroeconomic stabilisation achieved in previous years and external financial support are the main reasons behind these positive performances. In the short term, the outlook is mixed [...]
Economic growth remained rather strong in FY 2020/21 thanks mainly to the dynamic momentum of household consumption and the moderate support of public spending. This bolstered the retail and construction sectors. Through cautious management of public finances, the government reported a slightly smaller fiscal deficit in FY 2020/21, and it should continue to report an improvement this year despite possible upward pressures on current expenditures [...]
The Egyptian economy proved to be resilient last year. Economic growth remained positive thanks to fiscal support, and the main macroeconomic metrics did not deteriorate significantly thanks notably to international support. The good fiscal performance was noteworthy, and will help maintain the attractiveness of Egyptian debt. This said, it would be wise to remain cautious [...]
In first-half 2020, a massive sell-off of treasury bills by non-resident investors (-USD 12 bn starting in March 2020), combined with a decline in tourism revenues, albeit to a lesser extent, triggered a drop-off in the central bank’s foreign reserves. In May, foreign reserves declined by USD 9 bn to USD 36 bn. At the same time, the net external position of commercial banks swung from a surplus of USD 7.2 bn to a deficit of USD 5.4 bn [...]
The Egyptian economy has performed pretty well in the face of the pandemic. Activity has been bolstered by major public investment projects, whilst inflation has fallen well below the central bank’s target. The fiscal and current account deficits are likely to increase, but international support and access to capital markets at favourable conditions have contributed to a macroeconomic stabilisation [...]
Since March 2020, the deterioration in the global economic environment has stopped the appreciation of the Egyptian pound. In 2019, the pound appreciated by 12% against the USD with the rise in current account receipts and sustained portfolio inflows. Since March, massive portfolio outflows have entailed the pound’s moderate 1.2% depreciation and a decline in the official foreign reserves of the Central Bank (CBE) by 11% [...]
The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the Egyptian economy will be significant and will result in a sharp economic growth slowdown this year. Growth is nevertheless likely to remain positive. In the short term, the expected deterioration in public finances is sustainable, and the government can deal with a temporary downturn in international investors’ appetite for Egyptian debt [...]
Although still showing a significant deficit, the trade balance has improved substantially since 2017. It has benefited from a recovery in hydrocarbon exports, whilst the steep depreciation of the pound has had only limited consequences on trade in non-hydrocarbon goods. A substantial share of imports is incompressible, whilst structural constraints weigh on the country’s export potential. Moreover, the moderate appreciation of the pound over the past year has not helped price competitiveness [...]
Through economic consolidation measures implemented since 2016, Egypt has corrected its macroeconomic imbalances and regained the confidence of international investors. Foreign currency liquidity has returned to satisfying levels, the public account deficit is narrowing, although debt service is maintaining the fiscal deficit at a high level. Inflation is still relatively high but easing. Economic prospects are favourable [...]
Due to the country’s economic development, the agricultural sector is in relative decline as a share of GDP. Moreover, investment in agriculture is fairly sluggish. Yet the sector still plays a decisive role in food security in Egypt, a country where demographic growth is strong and households are highly sensitive to food prices. The agri-food sector also has an impact on macroeconomic fundamentals, including inflation, foreign trade and the public accounts [...]
As have many other emerging economies since March 2018, Egypt’s economy has weathered significant capital outflows. Holdings of Treasury Bills by foreign investors have dropped by almost USD 10 bn since March to reach USD 11.7 bn at end-October 2018. As a consequence, the Central Bank of Egypt Tier 2 FX reserves (prudential reserves that are not included in official reserves and match the carry-trade capital flows) and commercial banks’ foreign assets have declined [...]
Despite the turmoil that has swept the emerging markets in recent months, we are still confident in the solidity of Egypt’s external accounts in the short term. Last year, the current account deficit narrowed significantly, thanks to remittances, tourism and an improved energy account. In the short term, higher oil prices should have only a small impact on the current account. For the moment the central bank’s cautious policy is containing the risk of a sudden outflow of portfolio investment [...]
After the Egyptian pound’s floatation in November 2016, the Central Bank of Egypt (CBE) drastically tightened its monetary policy. Inflation has fallen regularly since Q3 2017, and should meet the central bank’s target. Money supply is growing at a relatively fast pace, bolstered by capital inflows. Maintaining interest rates at a high level is placing a major strain on lending growth, and the monetary easing that began in 2018 will continue gradually [...]
Egypt is a large and diversified economy. It has the largest population in the MENA region (more than 100 million Egyptians). The implementation of economic reforms since 2016 (with International Monetary Fund support) has restored an acceptable macroeconomic situation. However some vulnerabilities and weaknesses remain. External liquidity is subject to volatile portfolio flows and variable tourism activity. The government debt is high (but mostly domestic) and the budget continues to be heavily constrained by the need to service debt. The recourse to IMF financial support to weather the economic consequences of the pandemic highlights the ongoing need for international support.
Economic activity is sustainable thanks to household consumption (driven by the demography) and public investments in infrastructure. Nevertheless, job creation is far from being sufficient to absorb new entrants in the job market. As a consequence, the informal sector is large. The role of the public sector in the economy is very significant. Foreign direct investment (FDI) flows have been sustained for several years and have been concentrated in the hydrocarbon sector.
