Russian Nornickel expects primary nickel demand rise to 3.35mn t in 2023.

This has been a year of crisis for the nickel market.

"Pretty much everyone accepts the current level [of premiums] is the new reality", a trader said.

Australian resources firm IGO has resumed mining and processing nickel following a 3 December fire at its Nova operation in Western Australia (WA).

Redwood Material has signed a deal to supply Japanese battery maker Panasonic with high-nickel content cathode materials for the a planned Kansas plant according to Redwood.

A high backwardation continued to dampen import appetite, leading to thin liquidity, although offers were quoted higher.

Fastmarkets sources continued to insist that prices were in parity, as rare as the phenomenon is.

At present, of the 17,244 tonnes of on-warrant nickel in LME warehouses in Rotterdam, briquette accounts for more than 92%.