EGX Trading Suspensions and Price Limits

Daily Price Limits on Individual Stocks

The EGX applies daily price-movement limits to individual securities to prevent disorderly trading. The standard band is set as a percentage of the previous closing price; trading at the limit triggers a temporary halt, after which trading may resume within a wider band depending on the rules in force.

These limits are revised periodically by the EGX in coordination with the FRA. Always check the current band before assuming a price gap is the result of news rather than a mechanical halt.

Voluntary and Regulatory Suspensions

A stock can be suspended voluntarily — typically when the company is about to disclose material non-public information (M&A, capital action, profit warning) — or by the regulator when disclosure is overdue, governance issues are under investigation, or insolvency proceedings are filed.

Voluntary suspensions are usually short (a session or two). Regulatory suspensions can extend for weeks or longer and signal a more serious underlying issue.

Index-Wide Halts

In addition to single-stock limits, the EGX has historically applied broader halt mechanisms during periods of extreme market stress — for instance, during major political events or sharp global selloffs. These are exceptional, not routine.

When they happen, they affect all open orders simultaneously. Pending limit orders may execute on resumption at very different prices from where they were placed.

What Investors Should Do During a Halt

First, identify the reason: is the halt mechanical (price limit reached), procedural (pending disclosure), or regulatory? Each implies very different next steps.

Do not rush to cancel limit orders during volatile halts unless you have a clear thesis. Many disciplined investors leave their existing limit orders in place and use the pause to re-read disclosures rather than to react emotionally.

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