Naik terus mestinya harga Inco, Antam ya. Gimana pendapat yang lain? *Nickel prices likely to bounce back on growing demand from the stainless steel sector* *India - 2007 September 26*
Prices of nickel are likely to bounce back to $35,000 a ton on the LME and Rs 1,400 a kg on the MCX on growing demand from the stainless steel sector, according to the latest report by India Infoline. Nickel on the LME is currently quoted at $32,650 a ton, while it trades at Rs 1,298 a kg on the MCX. The report said the nickel market would remain in short supply due to continued strikes at mines. Consumers are, therefore, shifting from ferronickel to nickel produced from pig iron. The bullishness in the last couple of years has been due to an unmatched surge in nickel consumption, the booming Chinese demand and under-investment in new capacities. The nickel price averaged at $40,890 a ton for the year till September, 68 per cent higher than the CY06 average price. In the last eighteen months, nickel produced from pig iron has plugged the gap between demand and supply. In CY06, nickel production from pig iron was 40,000 tons, reducing the global demand-supply deficit to 45,000 tons. Nickel production from pig iron ore is expected to rise to 100,000 tons in CY07 and 140,000 tons in CY08. China is currently the only country known to be producing nickel pig iron. The product is not exported since it attracts a 10 per cent export tax. In an attempt to contain costs, some stainless steel producers in China are using nickel pig iron as a partial substitute for refined nickel or ferronickel to offset high nickel prices. Nickel pig iron is cheaper than conventional ferronickel. Nickel pig iron is consumed primarily in the production of 200 series stainless steels, which have lower nickel content than the 300 series. In the short term, the nickel pig iron production capacity could replace up to 100,000 tons of nickel, mainly in the production of the lower grade 200 series stainless steels. However, increased use of nickel pig iron is not expected to result in a reduction in the overall demand for nickel. Source: *Business Standard*
