AWDC: “Cautious recovery” for rough diamond trading
by jacquie_dealmeida | July 27, 2016 9:00 am
Antwerp World Diamond Centre (AWDC) says trading of rough and polished diamonds recorded a slight uptick in the first half of the year, though the outlook remains unclear.
“While the rough diamond market appears to be making a cautious recovery as compared to last year, the polished diamond trade continues to find it tough going,” AWDC said in a press release. “The significant monthly fluctuations demonstrate it is too early to draw far-reaching conclusions.”
AWDC says 111.1 million carats of rough and polished were traded on the Antwerp diamond market from January to June, compared to 102.8 million carats in the first half of 2015.
Figures for polished diamonds remained stable, though lower than last year, while trade of rough increased as compared to 2015. During the first six months of 2016, 6.2 million carats of polished diamonds, valued at more than $13 billion dollars, were traded in Antwerp, while 104.9 million carats of rough was traded, valued at worth $13.2 billion dollars.
On the import side, January recorded a decline, followed by three to four months in which the figures rose, only to fall again in June. AWDC says the amount of imported rough diamonds rose 5.61 per cent in comparison to last year, resulting in a 2.44 per cent increase in value.
Rough diamond exports also got off to a slow start in January, though they peaked in February. Exports declined gradually in the months that followed, while their value continued to fluctuate above the $1-billion mark until June, when the value of exported rough diamonds sank below a billion dollars for the first time since January. Compared to the first six months of 2015, the volume of rough diamond exports increased 12.9 per cent, with their value increasing 4.8 per cent.
The polished diamond trade figures followed approximately the same pattern as that of rough diamonds.
Source URL: https://www.jewellerybusiness.com/news/awdc-cautious-recovery-for-rough-diamond-trading/