The Egyptian pound was held steady by the central bank at a dollar sale on Tuesday, selling $37.8 million at a cut-off price of LE7.7301 per dollar, but strengthened on the parallel market.
The official cut off price remained unchanged from Sunday's dollar sale but one trader said the dollar changed hands at LE8.05 in the parallel market, while another said it was at LE8.10 to the dollar, compared with LE8.17 to the dollar on Sunday.
Egypt has sought to tame a once-thriving currency black market with measures such as a cap on dollar-denominated bank deposits.
The central bank gave permission in January to trade dollars up to LE0.10 above or below the official rate, with currency exchange bureaux allowed to trade at 0.15 pounds above or below the official rate.
The central bank had kept the pound at LE7.5301 for five months until July, when it allowed it to slide to LE7.6301. On July 5 the bank let it slip a further LE0.10.
Allowing the pound to weaken in a controlled way could boost exports and attract further investment but it also raises Egypt's already large bill for imported fuel and food staples.
