MERINO pieces experienced strong enquiry on Wooltrade last week as the physical wool market remained relatively stable.

Wooltrade market operations officer Tom Rookyard said oddments made up 33 percent of the bales sale last week.

The AWEX Eastern Market Indicator closed last week at 1246 cents, after reaching 1252 cents during November, its highest point since early September. Wooltrade.com.au sold 90 bales of wool last week and 1707 bales in November.

Mr Rookyard said there was an increase in interest in carding wools on Wooltrade last month, compared to the average bales sold.

“I’ve noticed this from various buyers contacting me for catalogues and also just in the types purchased online,” he said.

The top pieces price on Wooltrade last week was 1330c/kg clean, or 746c/kg greasy, was for a three-bale line of 17.6µ micron wool offered by Arcadian Wool Brokers for client VANOCA PARK/AV. The line yielded 56.1 per cent with an average staple length of 90mm, tensile strength of 30 Newtons/kilotex and 1pc vegetable matter content.

Merino locks sold to a top greasy price of 720c/kg, or 1104c/kg clean, for a three-bale line of 19.5µ sweepings branded OAKLANDS and offered by Elders Adelaide. The line yield 65.2pc and had 1.1pc vm.

A five-bale 20.6 micron locks line yielding 63.8pc and with 1.6pc vm sold for 1105c/kg clean, or 705c/kg greasy.

In the fleece lines, seven-bale line of 17.6 micron wool sold for 1384c/kg clean, or 958c/kg greasy. This line yielded 69.2pc, with an average staple length of 99mm, tensile strength of 17N/kt and 0.9pc vm.

A 13-bale 20.3µ Merino fleece line branded ATHOL-BRAE/W and offered by Arcadian Wool Brokers client Russell Duver at Willaura, sold for 1350c/kg clean, or 945c/kg greasy. The line from Banavie blood ewes had a yield of 70pc, mean staple length of 97mm, tensile strength of 43N/kt and 0.2pc vm.

Mr Duver said the Wooltrade price for the line was about 45 cents above the AWEX auction valuation two weeks earlier. The main annual clip of around 100 bales is sold at auction, but Mr Duver has sold some lines on Wooltrade with advice from his agent Nick Laurie over the past three years, because of the fluctuating market. Mr Duver said Wooltrade worked in tandem with the auction market to access spot-market demand, provided a fair reserve price was set. Buyers have had a chance to inspect the wool when it was offered at auction, been able to type it and can “go ahead and buy it with confidence “, he said.

“With Wooltrade you can mix both worlds together.”

An 11-bale line of 21.2 fleece wool sold for 1329c/kg clean, or 900c/kg greasy. It yielded 67.7pc, with a mean staple length of 102mm, tensile strength of 28N/kt and 0.4pc vm.

Mr Rookyard said just under 39,000 bales is on offer at Sydney, Melbourne and Fremantle.

“There are no reports of an immediate stronger market.

“However, leading into the Christmas break, the market could see a price rally.”

Click here for Wooltrade’s top prices summary for last week.

Source: Wooltrade.