CAIRO, 21 July 2003 — Solid gains by Al Watany Bank and heavyweight telecoms pushed Egyptian stocks to a firmer close yesterday, retracing some of the market’s declines in the second half of last week, traders said. The benchmark Hermes index gained 1.2 percent, or 100.74 points, to close at 8,605.58 points, while the broader CIBC index rose 0.6 percent to end at 78.58.