CAIRO, 30 August 2004 — Egypt’s benchmark share index surged to a fresh all-time closing high yesterday, lifted by expectations of solid results from Orascom Construction Industries (OCI) and helped by buoyant telecoms. The Hermes index finished up 262.15 points, or 1.6 percent, at 17,124.25 points, a record close for the index. The broader CIBC index climbed 0.33 points, or 0.3 percent, to end on 97.53 points.