Nickel prices fall by 4.6 percent

Metals prices retreated for the most part. Copper added 0.1 percent to $7,430 per tonne after London Metal Exchange inventories dropped by 775 tonnes. Elsewhere, zinc prices were 1 percent lower to $3,640 per tonne even though LME stockpiles fell by 1,300 tonnes.

Nickel dropped 4.6 percent to $43,440 per tonne after the London Metal Exchange made changes to its nickel lending rules. The changes drop the limit where holders of dominant long positions have to lend to the market.

Among precious metals, gold dropped 0.2 percent to $668.25 per troy ounce after the US dollar strengthened on currencies markets.