The Australian merino fleece wool market has had another down and up week, for a net result of very little change. The national offering was very similar to the previous week, 36,507 bales were available to the trade, only 28 fewer bales than last week. The first day of selling the individual Micron Price Guides (MPGs) across the country fell by between 1 and 44 cents. The only exception was the 18.0 micron MPG in the West which managed a 1 cent increase. The AWEX Eastern Market Indicator (EMI) dropped by 17 cents for the day. The final hour of selling in the West (selling last), showed signs of improvement, improving buyer confidence for the second day. This increased buyer sentiment did in fact carry into the second day, pushing prices higher. The MPGs across all microns in all centres, recorded positive movements of between 2 and 48 cents. These increases helped to push the EMI up by 11 cents for the day. The EMI recorded an overall loss of 6 cents for the series, this equated to a marginal 0.5% reduction. Due to the further strengthening of the Australian dollar, when viewed in US dollar terms, the loss was even more marginal, a 2 USc fall or a 0.2% drop. The crossbred sector again did not perform as well as the merinos. Substantial losses in the 26.0 micron MPG in the North (-45 cents a 6% fall) and the 32.0 micron MPG in the South (-22 cents an 8% fall), were a contributing factor to the overall drop of the EMI. After the relaxing of some COVID restrictions this week, daily auction room lot limits have reverted to pre-COVID levels. This has meant that more wool can be offered over each day, as a result the national offering for the following sale has increased. In the second last sale before the annual Christmas recess, there is currently 41,827 bales on offer nationally.