What an index is
Instead of watching every share price on its own, an index rolls the movement of a group of stocks into one number. If the number rises, the group rose overall; if it falls, the group fell overall.
The 30 in EGX30 comes from the number of listed companies the index is built around; the official list is the reference for the count and the names at any time. The exchange picks them under published rules, and the list can change over time.
Why points, not pounds?
The index level is not the price of anything you can buy. It is a gauge that starts from a base value and moves with its stocks, so we say "the index is at so many points". The level itself means little; what matters is the change.
The index is not your stock
The index is a summary. On a day it rises, many stocks inside it can still fall, and stocks outside it can move completely differently. So the index tells you the overall direction of a slice of leading stocks (the EGX30 constituents), not what your stock did.
See the index and its companies
The indices page shows the EGX30 level, its change and the companies in it.
Check yourself
1. The index went from 20,000 to 20,400 points. What is the change in percent?
2. EGX30 rose 1% today. What does that mean?
Summary
- EGX30 is one number summing up 30 companies chosen by the exchange under published rules.
- It is measured in points; compare using the percentage.
- The index shows the overall direction of its constituents, not the move of your stock.