Merino wool gains

Press, 24 January 1986, Page 3

Merino wool gains

PA Dunedin Fine wool prices lifted at the Dunedin sale yesterday, but the crossbred market generally eased in buyers’ favour through the day. The Merino offering was keenly sought and prices rose by up to 5 per cent. At the super-fine end of the Merino clip the market price is now as much as 300 c a kilogram up on similar wool sold at the peak of the fine wool season in mid-November. At that stage the bulk of the Merino clip was passed to the Wool Board; yesterday it all went to the trade. There was concern that lamb’s wool at the sale met limited competition. Crossbred, 65 per cent of the 28,000-bale offering, had good to average colour, and was well prepared. Fine wool was 12 per cent of the catalogue, Merino 6 per cent, Halfbred, 3 per cent, and fine

oddments 3 per cent. The official report said that compared with the last fine wool sale at Christchurch on December 20, fine Merino improved 5 per cent, and medium Merino was firm. Halfbred was firm but strong Halfbred inclined in buyers’ favour. Compared with the last crossbred wool sale at Christchurch on January 17, the better length sound wool was in sellers’ favour. All other crossbred was barely steady or tended in buyers’ favour. The main competition came from the Far East, Eastern and Western Europe. The Wool Board bid on 25 per cent of the offering, and brought 12.5 per cent of the offering, 3624 bales. The market indicator was 458 c clean and 340 c greasy. The range of prices, clean, was.— Merino, 18 micron: Good to super to 1600. Merino, 19 micron: Good to

super to 1115, good to 1111. Merino, 20 micron: Good to super to 939, good to 933. Merino, 21 micron: Good to super to 854, good to 831. Fine Halfbred, 27, micron: Good to 504, good average to 476.

Medium Halfbred, 29 micron: Good to 509, good average to 466. Fine crossbred, 33 micron: Good 473 to 494. Medium crossbred, 35 micron: Good 470 to 491, good average to 472, poor to 467. Strong crossbred, 37 micron: Good 467 to 482, good average 460 to 475. Shorn Hogget, crossbred, 33/34 micron, 75/125mm: Good to 475. Crossbred lambs’ wool, 31 micron: Good to super to 445. Second-shear Crossbred, 37 micron, 75/ 125 mm: Good to super to 470, good to 468, good average to 456. Crossbred, 37 micron, 50/ 75mm: Good average to 437. Pieces Merino, 21 jnicron: Average to good to 738. Fine Halfbred, 26 micron: Average to good to 493. Crossbred, 35 micron: Average to good to 437, average to j 430.