Happy hump day, ladies and gentlemen. It’s a mixed day on the news front today — not too busy here at home, but not quite what we would call a “slow” day.

THE BIG STORY TODAY

Auf Group grabs local snacks player: Egyptian healthy food company Auf Group acquired a 75.5% stake in Modern International Confectionery Co, Auf Group’s Chief Marketing Officer Rasha Ghaly told Enterprise, confirming a report from Al Mal. The acquisition comes nearly a month after UAE’s food and beverages group Agthia’s board approved a proposed acquisition of a majority stake in Auf Group for EGP 2.9 bn.

THE BIG STORY ABROAD

There’s no single story capturing the attention of the international business press this afternoon. Among the stories getting coverage is an explosion in Russia-held Crimea targeting an ammunition depot, with Ukraine hinting it was responsible for the attack without outright claiming responsibility (Reuters | the Wall Street Journal). CNBC is also on a similar topic, leading its front page with Russian President Vladimir Putin lashing out against the West for “trying to prolong” Russia’s conflict with Ukraine. Elsewhere, the Financial Times’ top story is hedge fund Elliott Management offloading nearly its entire stake in Japan’s SoftBank.

** CATCH UP QUICK on the top stories from today’s EnterpriseAM:

• Israeli energy firms want to invest in Egypt’s renewables sector: Israeli gas producer NewMed Energy is lining up a joint venture with Tel Aviv-listed Enlight Renewable Energy to invest in renewables projects across the MENA region.
• Ukrainian officials are trying to arrange the release of a 60k-ton shipment of wheat destined for Egypt after the ship carrying it was detained last month for investigation into its ownership.
• Giza Systems is one step closer to being Saudi-owned: Saudi Arabia’s competition watchdog has given the greenlight to Saudi Telecom’s internet subsidiary to acquire a controlling stake in Giza Systems.

CORRECTION- In our coverage this morning of foreign holdings of Egyptian treasury bills, we incorrectly reported the figures for May and June. Based on Central Bank of Egypt FX rates at the end of May and June, foreign holdings in June were USD 8.35 bn, and May holdings were USD 8.10 bn. The story has been updated on our website. H/t Ahmed A.

???? CIRCLE YOUR CALENDAR-

Consensus in the market is that the Central Bank of Egypt will go for a rate hike on Thursday. We’re updating this morning our interest rate poll from earlier this week after hearing back from another analyst and their crystal ball. As of this morning, six of eight analysts and economists we surveyed see the CBE going for a rate hike: Four are calling a 100-bps hike, one is forecasting a 200-bps rise and another a more modest 50-bps increase. A Reuters poll out yesterday is also calling a rate hike, with the wire service saying the sweet spot is 50 bps.

Expect more details on how gov’t plans to cut back on electricity: The Electricity Ministry will hold a press conference in the next few days to announce details of measures to curb electricity use that cabinet approved last week, Electricity Minister Mohamed Shaker reportedly told Al Mal.

☀️ TOMORROW’S WEATHER- The mercury will rise to 39°C during the day tomorrow before falling to 23°C at night, our favorite weather app tells us.