Merino fleece continued to strengthen, with the 18 MPG closing at 1787¢ in Sydney and 1796¢ in Melbourne, while the 17 MPG lifted to 1877¢ and 1903¢ respectively. Skirtings tracked higher across both centres, supported by consistent demand for low-VM lots. Crossbreds also improved, with the 28 MPG in Sydney lifting 60¢ to 610¢, the 26 MPG in Melbourne rising 64¢ to 828¢, and the 30 MPG adding 11¢ to 498¢, reflecting strong competition for limited supply.
Fremantle joined the rally, with finer fleece gaining up to 40¢ and the 18 MPG closing at 1745¢. Skirtings lifted 5 to 10¢ and broader oddments added around 10¢, taking the Western Merino Carding Indicator to 824¢. The Western Market Indicator finished the week at 1480¢, now 19.9% higher than the same time last year, underlining the strength of the recovery.
The Australian dollar has strengthened significantly, rising nearly 12% since its April low. The rally has been driven by expectations of, and the subsequent 25-basis-point cut delivered by Jerome Powell on Thursday morning, combined with strong commodity prices and improved global risk appetite. These factors have underpinned the AUD’s momentum that flowed into the Wool market this week
This Week in Mecardo, Andrew Woods examined RWS premiums in the 19 MPG category (see article here) He looked at wools of comparable quality between Australian and South African, finding that prices are very similar, both for RWS-accredited and non-accredited lots. He concluded that the marketing advantage lies in South Africa having half its Merino clip accredited to RWS, delivering premiums of around 8–10% and giving them a stronger position in the global supply chain.