US polished imports in February rose 9.6% year-on-year to $ 1.748 billion, while the average price of stones increased by 5.3% to $ 2,174 per carat. The Rapaport portal reports that polished exports rose 1.7% to $ 1.785 billion, resulting in a deficit of imports of $ 37 million.
Imports of rough diamonds fell 79.7% to $ 15 million, while diamond exports declined by 83% , 3%, to $ 5 million, resulting in net imports of $ 10 million compared to $ 43 million a year earlier. The US diamond trade surplus in February, reflecting the difference between net imports and net exports, showed a deficit of $ 27 million, compared to a deficit of $ 117 million a year earlier.
Imports of diamonds in the first two months of 2015 increased by 2.7% to $ 3.575 billion, while their exports increased by 2.4% to $ 3.164 billion, which is why net imports increased by 4.8%, to $ 411 million. Imports of diamonds fell by 77.2% to $ 29 million, while their exports decreased by 80.5% to $ 17 million, as a result, net imports of raw materials decreased by 70%, to $ 12 million. The balance of the US diamond trade in the first two months The current year decreased by 2.1%, to $ 423 million.