/ 26 February 2001

2000 PROFIT ?NOT LAST CURTAIN CALL?

DIAMOND miner De Beers is likely to deliver its last annual results as a listed firm this week when it reports a doubling of 2000 profit, but the company vows to remain an open book for years to come. De Beers could quit the Johannesburg Stock Exchange as early as mid-year when its ownership is due to be handed over to a consortium led by mining giant Anglo American and South Africa’s Oppenheimer family in a $17.6bn deal. The deal raised concerns that the once-secretive De Beers, which supplies about 65% of the world’s rough diamonds, would return to the shadows after its delisting. – Reuters