SUPERCYCLE WATCH- Copper prices are at all-time highs off of optimism over an economic rebound that has fueled talk of a commodities supercycle amid soaring raw material prices, Bloomberg reports. The surge in prices is raising the prospect of imminent inflation — despite some analysts suggesting it will be transitory — meaning big buyers such as China could move to stabilize prices. Copper is typically considered a proxy or indicator of where markets are heading.

Rising commodity prices are good news for emerging markets and will likely help currencies shake off pressure from rising US interest rates and a stronger USD, according to a Reuters poll of strategists. Almost two-thirds of the 40 people polled said that currencies belonging to commodity exporters will outperform than high / low-yielding EM currencies. "Given our generally bullish outlook on commodity [sic] for 2021, we expect commodity exporters to remain supported, in both EM and DM (developed markets), even in the face of a stronger [USD]," said FX analysts at Citigroup.

Investors hope the hype over Dogecoin will send other crypto assets to the moon: Investors are turning to lesser-known cryptocurrencies such as DigiByte, VeChain and SafeMoon in search of the next Dogecoin, as meme-fueled buying sprees cause crypto assets to skyrocket, reports the Wall Street Journal. The price of the once-obscure Dogecoin has surged more than 26,000% in the past six months to reach a market cap of USD 92 bn to become one of the world’s largest crypto assets.

The EGX30 rose 0.7% on Thursday on turnover of EGP 1.02 bn (18.8% below the 90-day average). Foreign investors were net sellers. The index is down 2.4% YTD.

In the green: Ezz Steel (+5.6%), AMOC (+3.7%) and Sidi Kerir (+3.2%).

In the red: Orascom Development (-2.8%), Orascom Financial (-2.3%) and Abu Qir Fertilizers (-1.2%).