Glimpse of Egypt stability enough for some to resume deals

Sameh El-Meligy, whose interests range from importing home appliances to a stake in two Cairo restaurants, is thinking of opening another, after three years of violent unrest hurt demand. “We’ve begun to feel some stability and this has been reflected in the market,” he said by phone.

At the other end of the scale, Nassef Sawiris, Egypt’s richest man, said he wants to return part of his Orascom business to the country after pulling out more than a year ago. The planned initial public offering of the construction unit in Sawiris’s Amsterdam-based OCI NV is part of a flurry of Cairo deals announced in recent months in industries from food to communications.