Dear Valued Client, 

We at GDI Overseas would like to inform and cast our honest view over the unfortunate political demonstrations in Egypt.

Firstly, we would like to inform you that these protests are pro-democratic without any religious nature.

It is often that these protests are misinterpreted as fanatical or extremist but we are confident that trade and tourism will continue as normal when the dust is settled. Events similar to this such as Bangkok (Thailand) demonstrations last year, soon recovered after 9 weeks when the media propaganda faded. Please do not let these minorities distort you view on the true mind set of the majority of Egyptian people.

The President Mohamed Mubarak has been in power for three decades since 1981 with promises of economic reform and the following:

• Rising food prices

• Unemployment

• Huge gap between rich and poor

Such issues have lead to public uproar and this has called for a political sweep out of Mubarak and his associates.

Egypt citizens press their demands for democracy which could spell the end for the military establishment which has run post-colonial Egypt since the 1950s.

There is no doubt that poverty has been a constant battle for the Egyptian people and with such a large presence in world trade these simple human rights issues maybe should have been managed better. We do not wish to take any side but there is the feeling amongst most westerners that these protesters have got a point.

After the protests, Egypt will either continue as normal under the same president or there will be reforms that actually make a difference. There is no risk to tourism or normal Egyptian Trade. This is what the whole economy is based on and we can't see that changing.

Please Note*

One Year ago we saw the same political demonstrations in Bangkok, after 9 weeks the tourism figures stabilised and confidence was regained.

Here at GDI Overseas it is work as normal without any problems.

Should you have any questions regarding the political events, feel free to contact us anytime and we will keep you updated.

Best Regards,

GDI Management Team

The pound has been punished by the prospect of a hung Parliament as the currency took big losses against the dollar and the euro.

Gordon Brown's announcement that he had asked the civil service "to provide support on request" to parties in talks over forming a Government triggered a fresh sterling sell-off amid worries over political paralysis.

Fears over delays in tackling the UK's yawning deficit sent sterling down 2% to a year-low below 1.45 against the dollar, with a 1% fall also seen against the euro at 1.14.

But it recovered some ground minutes later as Liberal Democrat leader Nick Clegg said the party with the most votes and seats - the Conservatives - should have the first right to seek to govern.

Graph shows pound's value against dollar as traders react to political uncertainty

The FTSE 100 also slumped around 1.5% to its lowest level since February as trading screens turned red across the City shortly after opening.

The election jitters added to already frayed nerves in stock markets that have been punished in recent sessions amid concerns over the Greek crisis.

Wall Street's Dow Jones Industrial Average fell 3.2% overnight - slumping more than 1,000 points, or 9%, at one stage before recouping some of the losses.

Experts added that a weak coalition between Labour and the Liberal Democrats could be the worst result for the UK's sovereign credit rating.

Currency traders warned the political uncertainty sparked by an indecisive election result was likely to mean more volatility for sterling in the days ahead.

Currencies Direct dealer Phil McHugh warned: "If something clear and decisive does not get through very quickly the ramifications are likely to be a further sell-off of the pound and a potential downgrade for the UK's credit rating."

Ratings agencies Moody's and Standard & Poor's both said the election outcome did not directly threaten the UK's AAA rating.

CBI director-general Richard Lambert said: "Business needs stability and wants to see a clear decision reached swiftly, which delivers a stable new government. The UK's route to economic recovery needs to be firmly established.

"The markets have been expecting this outcome, but uncertainty brings risks. The next few days will be critical."

Sky News Online's live blog continues to break every last result from the 650 constituencies.