A Mapped Timeline of Egypt's Revolution in Tahrir Square

This is a very nice series of semi-animated maps, depicting the 18 days of events in Tahrir Square in Cairo, the epicenter of antigovernment protests, in case you missed the day-to-day map coverage in the New York Times. 

http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2011/02/12/world/middleeast/0212-egypt-tahrir-18-days-graphic.html?nl=todaysheadlines&emc=thab1

Egypt Erupts in Jubilation - Hosni Mubarak steps down

Events like this sets not only the country back but the whole world back several years. Citizens will have to work at bringing the same standard of living back to where it was. Even tourist dollars will have to be coaxed back. According to the NY Times, "This was meant to be a banner year for Egyptian tourism. The ministry of tourism was anticipating more than 14 million visitors in 2011, a record. It was hardly unrealistic, considering that Egypt had 12.5 million visitors in 2009, and in the first nine months of 2010, despite the continuing global recession, had already seen 10.5 million visitors pass through the country."

Worldwide, economy takes a dip when something this unsettling takes place. Everyone is affected in such a situation, sort of like the elements (the sun and the rain). There is no escape for anyone. Share markets everywhere were affected and went south. Even the KLCI lost 33 points on Thursday and continued to slide on Friday. I foresee the trend will be reversed come Monday now that Tahrir Square is back to normal.

NY Times..Egypt Erupts in Jubilation as Mubarak Steps Down
- CAIRO — An 18-day-old revolt led by the young people of Egypt ousted President Hosni Mubarak on Friday, shattering three decades of political stasis here and upending the established order of the Arab world.

Shouts of “God is great” erupted from Tahrir Square at twilight as Mr. Mubarak’s vice president and longtime intelligence chief, Omar Suleiman, announced that Mr. Mubarak had passed all authority to a council of military leaders.

BBC.. Egypt's Mubarak resigns as leader
- Vice-President Omar Suleiman made the announcement on state television

Hosni Mubarak has stepped down as president of Egypt, after weeks of protest in Cairo and other cities.

The news was greeted with a huge outburst of joy and celebration by thousands in Cairo's Tahrir Square - the heart of the demonstrations.

Mr Mubarak ruled for 30 years, suppressing dissent and protest, and jailing opponents.

The Star.. A day Egypt will long remember
- CAIRO erupted in loud cheers which could be heard for kilometres around reflecting the joy of Egyptians that long time President Hosni Mubarak has finally stepped down after 18 days of massive demonstrations.

Hosni Mubarak

* Elevated from vice-president when Anwar Sadat was assassinated in 1981
* Supported Sadat's policy of peace with Israel
* Maintained emergency law for entire presidency
* Won three elections unopposed
* Fourth term secured in 2005 after allowing rivals to stand
* Economic development led many Egyptians to accept continued rule
* Survived 1995 assassination attempt in Ethiopia
* Faced Islamist threat within Egypt, including Luxor massacre of 1997 and Sinai bombings
* Regularly suppressed dissent, protests and political opponents


Sources:
- NY Times
- BBC
- The Star

Egypt is a popular tourist destination... but not now...

This image is on the frontpage of The Star today. At first glance, I thought the big patch of brown was a swarm of bees. They are actually Egyptian anti-government protesters gathering in Cairo’s Tahrir Square yesterday as they mark the 16th day of protests against the 30-year-old regi me of President Hosni Mubarak.

Egypt with her rich history and interesting attractions is a popular holiday destination but sadly tourists were seen leaving the country when the protest started. I read that close to a million tourists have left the country. There goes the tourist dollar, and lots of it too.

What do we normally associate Egypt with? The pyramids come to mind, don't they? The pyramids even made it into the Transformers movie, Revenge of the Fallen, which incidentally, is being shown on HBO this month. The Nile River cruise, according to my friends who have taken the cruise, is a must-do when visiting Egypt. Let's hope all this will come to an end soon and life can pick up where it stopped for their citizens.


Image source: The Star..Protesters believe military won’t shoot them

Egypt Stocks: A Contrarian Play?

It is hard to miss the news about the anti-government protests in Egypt. Looters are roaming neighborhoods in Cairo and the death toll from the demonstrations is now above 100. The military has even blocked tourists from seeing the pyramids. Now the Obama administration has threatened to cut foreign aid to the country because of the crackdown on protesters.

So the big question is, is there a contrarian turn-around play here? The Market Vectors Egypt Index ETF (EGPT) is down over 20% during the last twelve months. Investing in this ETF is probably the simplest way to invest in Egyptian companies. The stocks in its portfolio contain many of the following.

Commercial International Bank (CIBEY.PK) is a bank holding company in Egypt with over 70 branches. The stock trades at 14.2 times earnings and six times sales. Earnings for the quarter ending September 30 were up 52% on a 38% increase in revenues.

EFG Hermes GDR (EFGZF.PK) is in the business of investment banking, private equity, asset management and investment brokerage, and the manage two funds, the Jordan Hi-Tech Venture Fund Limited, which invests in the information technology sector in Jordan, and the Middle East Technology Fund. This $1.9 billion market cap fund trades at 5.2 times sales.

Orascom Construction GDR (ORSDF.PK) is in the business of manufacturing and marketing building materials, and in construction contracting, operating in 20 countries. The stock has a price to earnings ratio of 18 and a price sales ratio of 1.7. Earnings for the latest quarter were up over 22%.

Orascom Telecom SAE (ORSTF.PK) is an international mobile communications operating in Algeria, Pakistan, Egypt, Tunisia, Iraq, Bangladesh and Zimbabwe. The stock has a PE ratio of 3.9 and a PS ratio of 0.77.

If you like international stocks, you should check out the free downloadable Excel stock lists at WallStreetNewsNetwork.com, which includes such countries as France, Brazil, Canada, Japan, India, Russia, and the United Kingdom.

Disclosure: Author did not own any of the above at the time the article was written.

By Stockerblog.com