BUYERS scouring online stocks for good quality Merino fleece boosted Wooltrade sales last week.
Wooltrade market operations supervisor Tom Rookyard said 610 bales of wool were sold online last week with the strong buyer and exporter activity in the market.
The AWEX Eastern Market Indicator last week lifted 10 cents to close at 1422 cents clean and the Western Australian market indicator remained steady, finishing 1 cents down on 1456 cents.
Mr Rookyard said 535 of the bales sold online were Merino fleece and lambs wool, with 480 bales under 21 micron.
In the past week the continuing lack of supply of good quality Merino wool has allowed the market to strengthen, Mr Rookyard said.
“The good quality (Merino) fleece is in really high demand and that’s what they’re looking for.”
Mr Rookyard said the market had not yet lowered Wooltrade’s listing of about 4500 bales of Merino wool and oddments in recent weeks.
“But as soon as that quality stuff comes up it is being bought straight away.”
Many brokers were watching the physical markets and adjusting Wooltrade bale reserves as the market fluctuates, he said.
ultrafine bale tops Wooltrade offering
The top price lot this week was a bale of 14.4 micron AAAM Merino weaner fleece that sold for 1550c/kg greasy or 2156c/kg clean. The bale yielded 71.9 percent with an average staple length of 73mm, a tensile strength of 33 Newtons/kilotex and 1.8pc vegetable matter content. It was branded PY/Reids Flat and was offered by Quality Wool.
The skirtings category was topped by a bale of 13.7 micron ultrafine pieces that made 1505c/kg greasy, or 2153c/kg clean. The line had 0.9pc vm, was 66mm long, with a yield of 66.9pc and tensile strength of 25N/kt. It was branded Beltana and offered by Landmark Melbourne. Carding wool sold to 670c/kg greasy, or 1465c/kg clean, for a six-bale line of 17.7 Merino lambs fleece that yielded 66.2pc, with 0.3pc vm. It was offered by Australian Wool Network and branded KW.
A 15-bale line of 17.3 micron Merino fleece sold for 1471c/kg greasy, or 2015c/kg clean. It yielded 73pc, was 92mm long, with a tensile strength of 36N/kt and 0.3pc vm.
A seven-bale line of 18 micron fleece , with a yield of 75.4pc, an average staple length of 101mm, tensile strength of 40N/kt and 0.9pc vm, sold for 1462c/kg greasy, or 1939c/kg clean.
A two-bale line of 19 micron merino fleece sold for 1150c/kg clean, or 1704c/kg clean/ It yielded 67.5pc, was 96mm long with a tensile strength of 45N/kt and 0.3pc vm.
A 16-bale line of 20.2 micron Merino fleece made 1145c/kg greasy, or 1457c/kg clean. The line yielded 78.6pc, with an average staple length of 112mm, a tensile strength of 34N/kt and 0.2pc vm.
An 11-bale line of 22.2 micron Merino fleece made 968c/kg greasy, or 1294c/kg clean, last week. The line was 107mm long, yielded 74.8pc, had a tensile strength of 27N/kt and 0.3pc vm.
Mr Rookyard said one the last fine wool sales for the season occurs in Sydney this week, with a number of low vm superfine quality wool lines from the Goulburn region on offer.
“With supply continuing to be the major factor, and only 46,000 bales on offer nationally, it is expected the physical auctions should be very well supported.”
Click here for the latest Wooltrade Top Prices Summary.
Source: Wooltrade.
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