Global Nickel Market Faces First Deficit Since 2022 as Indonesia Tightens Ore Quotas and Middle East Disruptions Raise Costs

Post Views: 0 Nickel manufacturing The global primary nickel market is set to swing into deficit in 2026 — the first shortfall in four years — as Indonesian mining quota restrictions tighten ore supply and Middle East-linked disruptions inflate feedstock costs across the processing chain. The International Nickel Study Group (INSG) forecast a deficit of 32,000 tonnes for 2026 after its April meetings, a sharp reversal from three consecutive years of surplus that reshaped nickel pricing and squeezed Western producers out of contention. But the deficit is narrow, policy-dependent, and structural...