Featured Data Additions, October 7, 2026

EMERGELA → Argentina → Housing and Construction → Construya Construction Index

The Construya construction activity index for Argentina was added to EMERGELA. Construya is an industry association of Argentina's major building materials manufacturers. The index tracks the volume of construction products manufactured by member companies, sold to the private sector. It is widely cited by Argentine media and economists as a timely gauge of private construction demand. The monthly index is sourced from Grupo Costruya and starts in January 2017.

Chart: Construction activity in Argentina showed signs of slowing again in August. According to the Construya Index, sales of supplies to the private sector registered a SA monthly drop of 3.5% and falling 5.3% y/y – the third consecutive m/m and y/y declines. The organization projects a slight recovery in demand in the near future driven by the continued normalization of macroeconomic conditions and a greater impact of mortgage lending on the real estate market resulting from recent structural changes in bank lending and the introduction of new mortgage products.

TOURISM → Countries & Special Areas → New Zealand → Tourists Arrivals by Country & Length of Stay

Short-term visitor arrival detail for New Zealand was added to the TOURISM database. A median length of stay series are available in addition to the number of visitors by five specific durations. These data are available for ten selected Asian countries. Monthly data are sourced from Stats NZ and start in July 2013.

Chart: In March 2020, New Zealand closed its border to nearly all non-citizens. Tourists who were already in the country ended up staying much longer for several reasons. Returning flights were scarce and expensive, NZ extended visas automatically and its COVID strategy felt safer than back home. By 2023, duration of stay figures were back to pre-pandemic levels except for India. During this time, people of Indian descent became the fastest-growing ethnic group in the country. A larger, recently arrived community means more relatives visiting, and those long visits pushed up the average length of stay.

CMDTY → Commodity Indexes → IDEX Diamond Index

The IDEX diamond index and underlying drivers were added to the CMDTY database. This index is a benchmark that tracks global natural polished diamond prices. The index is composed of 15 drivers - the leading diamond categories by specific combinations of cut, carat, color and clarity - which together account for roughly 45% of the polished diamond trade. Daily data are sourced from the International Diamond Exchange and start in July 2004.

Chart: The price of natural diamonds has seen a sharp decline in the past 4.5 years, as it has nearly halved since its March 2022 highs. The index stood at 158.4 on March 7, 2022, and has since fallen 48% to 81.8 as of October 6, 2026. The rise in popularity of lab-grown diamonds is driving the price dip brought on by advancements in synthetic diamond production technology, rising demand for ethical jewelry, growth of luxury retail, increased awareness of the environmental impact of natural diamonds, plus the simple fact that lab-grown stones are significantly cheaper per carat than mined equivalents.