Diamond News Archives
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(IDEX Online News) - The old year ended with more of a fizzle than a bang, at least where polished diamond prices were concerned. December 2019 prices started at 120.90 and ended at almost the same point - 120.93 - with a slight dip mid-month.
Outlook
Demand for polished goods remained low in December, this was especially true for the larger, higher-priced items even though their prices are far below what they were just a few years ago, as seen in the graph below.
However, the outcome of the last De Beers' Sight of the year, which was valued at a provisional $425 million could possibly be the first sign that the market could be starting to pick up once again.
With the Chinese New Year approaching and Valentine's Day next month, the industry will be hoping for a strong start to the year. However, with financing still an unsolvable issue, the lack of profitability in the mid-stream and economic uncertainty ahead, there is no telling how the year ahead will play out.
Click here[1] to see the full IDEX Online Research article....
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Archaeologists have discovered the remains of an ancient Scythian Amazon woman, buried in an impressive headdress forged from precious metal.
The same tomb contained the remains of two young Scythian women aged between 20 to 29 years old and 25 to 35 years old, and those of a teenage girl aged between 12 to 13.
The discoveries were announced in a statement[1] released by the Institute of Archaeology of the Russian Academy of Sciences.
Archaeologists found the remains at a burial site at Cemetery Devitsa V in southwest Russia. The site consists of 19 partially covered mounds.
The women are female Scythians, nomads and warriors who came from the Eurasian steppe in what is now Southern Siberia—before extending their influence throughout Central Asia, from China to the Black Sea.
The eldest of the four women is thought to have died when she was between 45 and 50 years old—an impressive feat for a time when the average life expectancy is believed to have been around 30 to 35. Scythians appear to have had a higher risk[2] of dying in early adulthood than those in other Iron Age groups as a result of their penchant for warfare.
The woman was found buried in a ceremonial headdress decorated in floral patterns, with a rim displaying amphora-shaped pendants. Testing shows the headdress is made from gold (65 to 70 percent) with copper, silver and a small fraction of iron making up the rest. According to the researchers, this is a high concentration of gold for Scythian culture.
Valerii...
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Still, with one last hurdle to clear before year end, markets were still anticipating- Category: News Archives
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Consumer Confidence Disappoints As Hope Fades | Zero Hedge- Category: News Archives
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Activists participate in a rally urging the expansion of Social Security benefits in front of the White House July 13, 2015.
Getty Images
Raising the retirement age is an emotional issue.
For evidence, just look at proposals to move up the full retirement age for Social Security. Even the idea upsets advocates who want to see the program expanded and individuals receiving benefits. Because of that, lawmakers tend to tiptoe around the issue.
Outside the U.S., French citizens have taken to the streets to protest President Emmanuel Macron's plan to overhaul the country's pension system. Among the proposed changes is raising the retirement age to 64 from 62 .
Most workers do not want to be told they have to work longer.
Yet it turns out that in the U.S., many already anticipate extending their working years, according to recent research[1] from the Transamerica Center for Retirement Studies.
A majority of workers — 54% — said they expect to stop working sometime after age 65 or never retire at all, the research found.
Meanwhile, just 24% said they plan to retire at 65, and 22% said they plan to retire earlier.
"People want to extend their working lives and plan to keep working in retirement," said Catherine Collinson, CEO and president of the Transamerica Center for Retirement Studies. "By and large, many simply have not yet saved enough to retire comfortably."
More than half of workers — 55% — said they plan to work either part-time or full time in retirement. While most of those respondents cited financial reasons for those plans, many also pointed to other reasons, many related to healthy aging, such...