Egyptian commerce at stand still

NY Times:

Egypt’s economy approached paralysis on Monday as foreign commerce, tourism and banking all but halted, placing acute pressure on President Hosni Mubarak to find a way out of the weeklong chaos and move toward an orderly transition.

International companies closed plants and sent workers home or out of the country; food staples went undelivered to stores; and banks remained closed during a week when many Egyptians, who are routinely paid monthly, would receive their paychecks.

A major ratings agency cut the country’s bond rating, while shortages led to rising prices. And poorer Egyptians told of cutting back to just two meals a day to cope.

The protests’ crippling effects could give Mr. Mubarak and his new cabinet perhaps only a few weeks to re-establish order before shortages, rising unemployment and a deep crisis set in, economists said.

...

I suspect this lack of commerce puts more stress on the demonstrators who will be short of food and other essentials pretty soon. They may have some decisions to make pretty soon about work or standing around in a crowd.

The Guardian has more on the lack of commerce.