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Belgium Polished Diamond Exports Decline
Jul 9, 2017 8:26 AM
By Rapaport News
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RAPAPORT... Belgium’s polished-diamond trading slumped in June amid
fewer shipments to Hong Kong, according to data the Antwerp World Diamond
Centre (AWDC) released last week.
Polished exports fell 12% year on year to $1 billion during the month, with
imports also down 12% to $1.08 billion. Net polished exports stood at negative
$73.3 million versus negative $84.3 million a year ago as Belgium exported a
lower value of polished diamonds than it imported.
By volume, polished exports fell 8% to 460,201 carats. The
average price of those exports declined 4% to $2,183 per carat.
Polished exports to Hong Kong, Belgium’s biggest trade
partner for polished diamonds, dived 22% to $354.4 million. US exports dipped
2.3% to $212 million.
Meanwhile, rough-diamond imports grew 5% to $996.5 million,
and rough exports jumped 24% to $1.19 billion, the AWDC data showed. Net rough
imports amounted to negative $192.9 million, compared with negative $14.4 million
a year earlier.
Belgium’s June net diamond account — total rough and
polished exports minus total imports — was $119.6 million versus negative $70
million the year before.
During the first half of the year, Belgium’s polished
exports fell 9% year on year to $6.06 billion. Polished imports
dropped 6%, also reaching $6.06 billion, while net polished exports slid to
negative $1.2 million from positive $220.1 million.
First-half rough imports slumped 13% to $5.67 billion, with
rough exports down 1.5% to $6.6 billion. Net rough imports came to negative
$931 million compared with negative $193.5 million a year back.
The net diamond account for the six months more than doubled
to $929.8 million from $413.7 million the previous year. |
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Tags:
Antwerp World Diamond Centre, AWDC, Belgium, Hong Kong, imports and exports, net diamond account, Polished Diamonds, polished exports, polished-diamond trading, Rapaport News, Rough Diamonds, US
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