{"id":692715,"date":"2026-04-09T00:00:00","date_gmt":"2026-04-09T00:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/enterpriseam.com\/egypt\/?p=692715"},"modified":"2026-04-09T13:40:40","modified_gmt":"2026-04-09T13:40:40","slug":"egypts-urban-inflation-hits-15-2-in-march-as-energy-and-currency-pressures-mount","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/enterpriseam.com\/egypt\/2026\/04\/09\/egypts-urban-inflation-hits-15-2-in-march-as-energy-and-currency-pressures-mount\/","title":{"rendered":"Egypt's urban inflation hits 15.2% in March as energy and currency pressures mount"},"content":{"rendered":"

Howdy, friends, and kudos to all of us for making it to the weekend <\/strong>\u2014 which means alarmfree sleep until Tuesday for many of you, we hope. In today\u2019s issue, we\u2019re taking a deep dive into the Artemis II Lunar Flyby mission<\/strong>, how the internet\u2019s been reacting, and what a \u201clunar economy\u201d would entail. Also, we review the fifth and final season of The Boys<\/strong>, which kicked off with a bang.<\/p>\n

**A QUICK PROGRAMMING NOTE<\/strong>- EnterprisePM will be taking a long weekend break as we celebrate Sham El Nessim and will be back in your inboxes on Tuesday afternoon<\/strong>. Until then, enjoy the long weekend.<\/p>\n

THE BIG STORY TODAY-<\/p>\n

\ud83d\udccd Egypt\u2019s annual urban inflation accelerated for a second consecutive month to 15.2% in March<\/strong>, up from 13.4% in February, as regional conflict, higher energy prices, and a weaker EGP drove broad-based cost pressures. Monthly inflation rose to 3.2%, according to Capmas.<\/p>\n

The reading beat consensus estimates, fueled by a c.16% spike in domestic fuel prices and a 21.6% jump in vegetable costs<\/strong>, which HC\u2019s Neamat Choukri attributed to the war-induced surge in global energy prices and a c.12% monthly depreciation of the EGP to EGP 54.56\/USD.<\/p>\n

What\u2019s next: <\/strong>While analysts expect upcoming electricity tariff hikes to sustain momentum in April, there is a growing consensus that the CBE will keep its easing cycle on ice through this period of heightened uncertainty. Thndr\u2019s Esraa Ahmed expects that policymakers will likely hold rates steady until the \u201creal cost of the Iran war\u201d can be fully assessed.<\/p>\n

THE BIG STORY ABROAD-<\/p>\n

\ud83c\udf10 The US-Iran two-week ceasefire is off to a rocky start<\/strong> \u2014 Iran accused Washington of violating their agreement after Israel launched a series of strikes on <\/a>Lebanon<\/a>, a point of debate between the two sides over whether the truce covers Lebanese territory. The UK and the EU called for Lebanon to be included in the ceasefire.<\/p>\n

MEANWHILE-<\/strong> Energy flows through the Strait of Hormuz remain slow as Iran demands tolls for safe passage and maintains that the full recovery of the strait hinges on compliance with the truce\u2019s conditions. As the truce remains fragile and Tehran threatens to withdraw from the agreement, oil prices rose, with Brent up 3.6% to USD 97.9 a barrel and WTI up 5% to USD 99 a barrel at the time of publication.<\/p>\n

^^Read more on: Bloomberg<\/a>, CNBC<\/a>, Reuters<\/a>, and the Financial Times<\/a>.<\/p>\n

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