Egyptian pound steadies

Egypt's pound held steady at a central bank dollar sale on Thursday but strengthened slightly on the unofficial market. The bank offered $40 million on Thursday and said it had sold $37.6 million at a cut-off price of 7.1401 pounds per dollar, unchanged from its last sale. The rates at which banks are allowed to trade dollars are determined by the results of central bank sales, giving the bank effective control over official exchange rates. In the unofficial market, the pound was trading at 7.60 to the dollar, slightly stronger than Wednesday's rate of 7.63 to the dollar, one trader said.