LME nickel inventory plunge sparks supply crunch fears, but was the drawdown manipulation or demand?

From smallcaps.com.au

With nickel stockpiles suddenly plunging below 90,000t on the London Metal Exchange this month, industry participants are fearing the much-awaited supply crunch has arrived, but is it a result of the genuine physical market conditions or unsavoury manipulation tactics? At the end of September, LME nickel inventories hovered at 152,000t and have now dropped to 87,132t – their lowest level since 2012. The drop, which has been labelled the biggest ever fall in LME nickel inventories, has prompted the LME to investigate. In an email to Small Caps, the LME stated it was “actively monitoring the nickel market and ... (full story)