U.S. equity index futures were higher this morning. S&P 500 futures were up 18 points in pre-opening trade. Canadian equity and bond markets are closed today for the Boxing Day the holiday.The Shanghai Composite Index gained 30.01 to 3,095.57 after announcing plans to dismantle its Zero COVID policy. WTI crude oil gained $0.80 to $80.35 on news that China plans to dismantle its Zero COVID poli...Read More
(IDEX Online) - Two men indicted for the fatal armed robbery of a US jeweler have been found guilty by a federal court.Mark Vuono was shot dead in what police in Stamford, Connecticut, described as a "cold blooded murder".He was found lying in front of his open safe with a head wound at Marco Jewelers after a customer called police, in March 2020. Three men were arrested two days later after...Read More
Pre-opening Comments for Friday December 23rd U.S. equity index futures were Lower this morning. S&P 500 futures were down 9 points in pre-opening trade. Index futures moved lower following release of a series on economic reports at 8:30 AM ESTNovember Core PCE Price Index was expected to increase 0.3% versus a gain of 0.2% in October. Actual was an increase of 0.1%. On a year-over-year b...Read More
(IDEX Online) - A flamboyant pastor who was robbed at gunpoint of $1m of jewelry during a live-streamed sermon has been indicted on fraud and extortion charges.Lamor Miller-Whitehead, 45, of Paramus, New Jersey, dubbed the Bling Bishop by newspapers, is charged with two counts of wire fraud and one count of extortion, all of which carry a maximum 20-year sentence. He's also charged with...Read More
(IDEX Online) - A new tracaeability check that will instantly confirm a diamond's country of origin from its Sarine ID number.Sarine, the diamond tech company behind the innovation, says traceability and sustainability have become just as important as an accurate 4Cs evaluation. Its Traceability Origin Check is being introduced as "a complimentary service for the natural diamond communit...Read More
(IDEX Online) - Gitanjali Gems, the company established by Mehul Choksi, the fugitive diamantaire, has been named India's biggest willful defaulter, with unpaid loans of Rs 7,848 crore ($947m). The Reserve Bank of India (RBI), has announced a Top 50 of "can pay, won't pay" borrowers.Gitanjali once had 4,000 points of sale, and more than a 50 per cent share of India's overa...Read More
U.S. equity index futures were lower this morning. S&P 500 futures were down 20 points in pre-opening trade.Index futures moved lower following release of the updated U.S. third quarter annualized GDP growth report at 8:30 AM EST. Consensus was unchanged at 2.9%. Actual was growth at a 3.2% rate.Micron dropped $0.93 to $50.26 after reporting lower than consensus fiscal first quarter results. T...Read More
(IDEX Online) - Leviev has unveiled two "Empress" diamond rings to honor British royals Camilla, Queen Consort and Catherine (Kate), Princess of Wales.It follows the US-based company's release of The Queen's Collection of 20 rings and other pieces in September, to mark the passing of Queen Elizabeth II."The Camilla" is a 6.4-carat emerald-cut gem with a $440,000 price tag. "The Catherine...Read More
(IDEX Online) - De Beers has appointed its first majority black-owned sightholder.Molefi Letsiki Diamonds was founded in Johannesburg, South Africa, in 2005, as a custom-made jewelry manufacturing business.It will join the list of around 60 businesses authorized to attend 10 sights a year in Gaborone, Botswana, from 1 January 2023, to buy bulk parcels of rough diamonds. Mr Letsiki graduated f...Read More
(IDEX Online) - De Beers today said rough sales during its final cycle of the year were $410m (provisional).That takes its 2022 total to $6.12bn - an increase of just over a fifth (21 per cent) on 2021 sales of $4.82bn. Sales during Covid-hit 2020 were $2.79bn. In 2019, De Beers sold $4.04bn.Sales during cycle 10 were down slightly from cycle 9, with sales of $454m, but up on cycle 10 of 2021 ($33...Read More
U.S. equity index futures were higher this morning. S&P 500 futures were up 29 points in pre-opening trade.The Canadian Dollar was virtually unchanged at US73.44 cents following release of Canada's November Consumer Price Index at 8:30 AM EST. On a year-over-year basis November CPI was expected to increase 6.7% versus a gain of 6.9% in October. Actual was an increase of 6.8%. Excluding food an...Read More
(IDEX Online) - Pandora is moving its North American headquarters from Baltimore to New York City, as it aims to "double revenue in the market".The world's largest jewelry brand sold over $1bn in the US last year and believes its new home, on the 35th floor of the 1540 Broadway skyscraper in Times Square, will help it recruit world-class talent."The location increases global talent attraction...Read More
(IDEX Online) - A jeweler in India has created a crocodile necklace, studded with 8,000 natural diamonds and 7,000 other gemstones.It was among the highlights at the Gems & Jewellery Manufacturers Show in Surat, which ended yesterday.Samir Mehta, of the Surat-based jewelry manufacturer Arete Virtue, said the necklace was made of 330 grammes of gold and had a $36,000 price tag."We've had m...Read More
(IDEX Online) - Amnesty International is calling on the government in Sierra Leone to address concerns over the impact of a diamond mine on a neighboring community.It claims their lives are being blighted by blasting operations and by water pollution caused by Meya Mining.Residents are "forced to evacuate their homes and take shelter in the different structures made by the company until the b...Read More
U.S. equity index futures were lower this morning. S&P 500 futures were down 12 points in pre-opening trade. Index futures were virtually unchanged following release of the November U.S. Housing Start report at 8:30 AM EDT. Consensus was 1.400 million units versus 1.425 million units in October. Actual was 1.427 million unitsThe Canadian Dollar was virtually unchanged at US73.41 cents after Ca...Read More
(IDEX Online) - Petra Diamonds has been fined 1bn Tanzanian shillings ($429,000) over the breach of its tailings dam at its Williamson mine.Its holding company Williamson Diamonds Limited (WDL) has been ordered to pay sum to the Tanzanian government's National Environment Management Council (NEMC).Dr Samuel Gwamaka, director general of the NEMC said WDL was responsible for compensating victim...Read More
(IDEX Online) - Police say most of the $129m treasures stolen from the The Green Vault museum, Dresden, Germany, in November 2019, have now been recovered.It follows negotiations between prosecutors in an ongoing trial and the six defendants, all members of the same family.They are accused of the organized robbery of 4,300 diamonds in what has been described as the world's biggest gem he...Read More
(IDEX Online) - India's polished diamond exports dropped during November to their lowest point this year, down to $1.25bn.Foreign sales have mostly been declining since the 2022 peak in March, of $2.20bn, although there was a notable bounce in September.Sales in November were down just over four per cent year-on-year, but by almost 34 per cent compared with October $1.89bn, according to figur...Read More
(IDEX Online) - Fugitive jeweler Mehul Choksi, accused of a $1.8bn fraud against the Punjab National Bank (PNB) is facing additional charges totalling another $800m.India's Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has lodged a fresh FIR (first information report) detailing allegations against Choksi, 62, his three companies - Gitanjali Gems, Gili India and Nakshatra Brands - and their directors....Read More
U.S. equity index futures were higher this morning. S&P 500 futures were up 4 points in pre-opening trade. Moderna gained $8.66 to $201.95 after Jefferies upgraded the stock from Neutral to Buy.Walt Disney slipped $0.45 to $89.63 after opening weekend revenues from its latest Avitar picture were lower than consensus. Microsoft added $1.22 to $245.91 on news that the company plans to challenge...Read More