Nickel Supply /Demand

It does not take sophisticated economic analysis to determine the current status of nickel production and demand (Figure 1). One only needs a quick glance at the balance sheets of the major nickel producers to learn that prices are down and profits are supressed to the point where they are major losses. Operations have been closed, and those remaining in production have reduced output. What Is now of interest Is, when will the nickel market improve and to what degree? The purpose of this paper is to attempt to answer these questions. This will be done by the normal method of projecting nickel demand, chosing a production scenario, and analyzing the results.