The solid start to the second half of the Australian wool auctions season continued with strength this week, with almost all types and descriptions holding or adding values. The large offerings which are normal for this time of year has failed to dampen the buying enthusiasm of mainly the locally based traders and exporters dealing with the global demand requests. The market has been heavily supported by Chinese interests but some good orders from outside that nation are adding to the consolidation of prices that largely occurred this week in all currencies.

The Western Australian market was the top performing this week. The predominantly Merino offering of 18 to 21micron in the Fremantle sale room were fetching upwards of 35ac more as the competition in that region outshone their Eastern state counterparts. Similar wool types in the Sydney and Melbourne selling centres did add some values but to the extent of just 5 to 20ac. The superfine Merino wools of finer than 18micron came under particular attention in both Eastern centres and the and rises of 40 to 55ac were registered to established quotes by the close of selling.

The crossbred wool types and carding sector descriptions traded on a generally firm unchanged basis throughout. The large Crossbred selection was interestingly a clash of the big European top maker, the large Chinese indent operator on these types and local traders. The widespread support of these wools is somewhat encouraging and prevented any further price degradation this week. The oddments purchasing was led by the largest local and Chinese bases first stage manufacturer.

The relatively strong demand since December has produced slowly improving  wool prices that for the long term future of wool values, is encouraging for price stability. The market has, for the moment, stepped away from the sharp spikes and steep and swift falls that wool prices can be subjected to and perhaps indicative of a more stable demand scenario now that the global users are getting back to somewhere near normality in operations - both in sales of wool products and personnel concerns.

Next week has over 46,000 bales for auction, but only on a two day selling roster of Tuesday and Wednesday due to Thursday being national holiday.