Belgium’s Rough Diamond Trading Cooled Down in May
June 10, 10
Rough diamond imports into Belgium continued to increase in May compared to the previous year, rising 73.6 percent to $705.2 million, according to figures released by the AWDC. Gross exports of $857.2 million left in the center a net of $152 million worth of rough goods. Month-over-month, however, the center’s trading has declined for the second month in a row.
More than a year after the global crisis that hit the diamond industry started to abate, the market in May was calm in comparison to previous months. Exports declined by 4.1 percent in value compared to April, while imports fell 21.6 percent month-over month.
The $857.2 million in gross exports is nearly the same as in July 2009, when gross exports totaled $856 million. Moreover, year-over-year net exports declined 4 percent indicating that Antwerp is not only back to full capacity, it may have found a glass ceiling.
In terms of volume, Belgium exported 11 million carats of rough diamonds and imported 8.7 million carats, for a net of 2.3 million carats.
 Source: AWDC |