WOOL prices fell across nearly all categories with the first auctions across Australia after the annual three-week recess.

The Australian Wool Exchange said in an all-too-common trend, currency fluctuations played a large role in the market movements.

“With the sale recess moving this year, comparing national quantities to the previous season was problematic, with the recess behind us, we can now accurately compare quantities.

“Season to date there has been 167,307 bales put through the auction system, this is 46,719 fewer bales than last season, a reduction of 21.8 percent,” AWEX said.

“In the Merino fleece sector, the individual Micron Price Guides (MPGs) movements ranged between +7 and -61 cents, 17.5 micron and finer in the North recording the largest falls.

“Strong competition on 19.5-micron wool in the west helped the 19.5-micron MPG to record the only positive result in the Merino fleece sector.”

AWEX said the crossbred sector had a mixed series, while the oddment sector recorded losses across all three regions.

“The result of these movements was an 11-cent fall in the benchmark AWEX Eastern Market Indicator (EMI), the EMI closed the week at 1113 cents/kg clean.”

AWEX said the USD is trading 1.48 cents higher compared to the close of the last series (24th of July).

“As a result, when viewed in US dollar terms the market rose.

“The EMI added 9 US cents for the series, closing the week at 751 US cents.”

AWEX said it is worth noting that on the final day in the west, the fleece that sold last recorded increases across all MPGs, setting a positive tone for next week’s opening.

“Wet weather across certain parts of the country, particularly in the west, has held up shearing.

“Despite this, next week’s offering is an almost carbon copy quantity wise,” AWEX said.

There are currently 42,349 bales on offer in Sydney, Melbourne and Fremantle.

Source – AWEX.