Alrosa Sees Spike in January Sales

RAPAPORT... Alrosa's sales surged 38% to $504.5 million in January, as a strong holiday season boosted market sentiment. "We have seen good demand for the whole assortment of ourdiamond products," Yury Okoemov, deputy CEO of Alrosa, said Monday. "[Demand was]supported by positive trends in the major sales markets, backed by good retailsales results in 2017, including the Christmas season, and growing polished-diamond prices in January." Rough sales jumped 39% year on year to $499 million for the month, while polished revenue dropped 24% to $5.5 million.