The Egyptian pound was devalued by 1.2 percent last week as the country's importers still face difficulties making their payments in U.S. currency. Most major grain importers are doing so through banks outside of Egypt, but their smaller counterparts are dependent upon the domestic banking system.

  Regional Updates MEDITERRANEAN/MIDDLE EAST COMMENTS Egypt’s central bank devalued the Egyptian pound by just over 1.2 percent last week, putting the official exchange rate at 7.93 to the USD. Secondary market prices for the U.S. dollar are about 0.40 higher. Egyptian importers are still facing a very difficult situation regarding their ability to make payments in U.S. currency. This type of transaction previously took days to co...