The Eastern Markets Indicator (IME) in Australia rose 4.5%, from US$8.20 to US$8.57 per clean base kilo, in one of the best performing weeks of the year and of the 2022/23 harvest. In Australian dollars, the increase was lower (0.8%), due to the strengthening of the local currency.
The market showed clear signs of confidence due to the start of a trend towards the normalization of daily life in China.
The best quality wools registered the highest increases, with increases in all fiber types and diameters, and sales levels were between 94% and 88%, with good demand.
In the local market there is a flow of business, although the values are below the expectations of the selling point.
According to Union of Consignees and Wool Auctioneers of Uruguay, the averages for lots of super fine Merino from 19 to 20 microns with green griffin are US$ 6.10 per kilo of dirty base; between 21 and 22 microns the average price is US$ 5.60 for certified wool; and for wool of 22 microns and up, prices barely exceed US$4 per kilo of green grifa fleece and US$4.20 with certifications.
Among the operations reported by the SUL in the last week, a transaction for 30,000 kilos of Merino wool of 21.1 microns, conditioned with green piping and RWS certification, 77% washing performance, at a price of US$ 5, stands out due to its volume. ,60 fleece and US$ 1 by-products.
Corriedale wools quote between US$ 1.80 per kilo fleece for 26 microns and US$ 0.60 for 29 microns without conditioning.
John Samuelle
There is a lot of wool left in the sheds, waiting for sales at reasonable values.
For Frank Raquet, director of Engrawthe year 2022 is closing with a positive balance for Merino wool up to 22 microns and difficulties for the producers of thicker wools, crosses and Corriedale.
Current prices are up to 25% below those obtained up to June, to which is added the fall of the dollar in Uruguay, which further reduces the margins.
Raquet maintains that the positioning of certified Uruguayan wools – organic, animal welfare, carbon neutral, processed with renewable energy – is increasingly important.
These conditions “today are paid for and valued by the consumer,” he mentioned, in a textile market with increasing specialization and the need for brands to differentiate themselves with their own attributes.
The amount
6% was the increase in 28 micron wools in Australia this week, above the general average.
