The nickel futures at the London Metal Exchange (LME) hiked by US$171 and closed at US$15,095/ton on June 18. The US dollar weakened initially before strengthening as the Federal Reserve announced it would keep interest rates unchanged.

In its policy statement, the Fed noted that while economic uncertainty has lessened, it remains elevated. Analysts believed the decision left room for potential rate cuts in the second half of the year, which helped boost market confidence. At the same time, stainless steel futures in China turned upward, leading to a rebound in nickel prices. In the short term, the market is expected to remain volatile.