Egypt's stock exchange has closed out Wednesday trade with heavy losses, the benchmark EGX30 finishing 3.58 per cent down at 4,095 points.

Trading was suspended for 30 minutes less than an hour into trading when the broader EGX70 and EGX100 indexes both fell more than 5 per cent. The session resumed just before midday when the dip continued, albeit at a slower rate.

Market turnover was LE307.95 million, more than a tenth of it taken up by trades on Orascom Construction Industries, the largest listed firm.

All sectors took losses or remained stagnant, and only a handful of stocks saw gains. More than 160 others finished in the red.

A full market report will follow shortly