RAPAPORT... Belgium's polished diamond exports dropped 8.3 percent year on year to $1.045 billion in November, according to data provided by the Antwerp World Diamond Centre. By volume, exports fell 16.3 percent to 456,660 carats. Polished imports fell 7.2 percent to $931.9 million, leaving net exports down 16.5 percent year on year to $113.1 million. Rough diamond imports jumped 14.1 percent to $1.239 billion and rough exports rose 9.3 percent to $1.409 billion, leaving net exports with a deficit of $170.4 million compared with a deficit of $203.5 million in November 2013. Belgium's net diamond account in November slipped 16.4 percent to $283.5 million. Polished diamond exports have risen 4 percent year on year to $13.331 billion for the first 11 months of 2014, while polished imports rose 3.8 percent to $12.894 billion, leaving net exports of $437 million compared with $400 million one year earlier. Rough diamond imports have increased 14.3 percent to $13.879 billion and exports have risen 8.6 percent to $14.439 billion. Belgium carried a rough import deficit of $560 million, down from a deficit of $1.147 billion one year ago. The net diamond account for January through November contracted 36 percent year on year to $997 million.
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