Nickel rose for the first time in three days, narrowing last week's decline to 4.4%; the LME chart below is a reminder of how volatile this metal can be when...

Nickel rose for the first time in three days, narrowing last week's decline to 4.4%; the LME chart below is a reminder of how volatile this metal can be when it gets going. Nickel has certainly been the talk of the resource sector recently. Pickings have been slim, and nickel has been one of the few performers. A few old hands have been talking about how 'nickel tends the lead the rest of the metals complex so prepare for better times'. It's stirring up welcome interest elsewhere in the sector at any rate. Nickel's rise however seems more based on unique geopolitical factors (Indo&Russia). These are very much in play, so perhaps we'll be hearing more about nickel for a while yet.