METALS-Nickel strikes 1-yr highs as rally picks up speed

Shanghai nickel prices rose more than 4% in early trade on Thursday to a one-year high, extending a rally for the metal into a ninth day as speculators continue to pile into the Shanghai Futures Exchange. Nickel, used to make stainless steel and batteries for electric vehicles, is now up more than 30% since the start of this year in Shanghai and is almost 37% higher in London. FUNDAMENTALS * SHANGHAI NICKEL: The most traded August nickel cont