Nickel for delivery in September moved up by Rs 5.20 or 0.72 per cent to Rs 728.70 per kg, in a business turnover of 13 lots at the Multi Commodity Exchange.
Similarly, the metal for delivery in August contracts traded higher by Rs 4.80 or 0.67 per cent to Rs 722.90 per kg in 242 lots.
Analysts attributed the rise in nickel prices at futures trade to enlarging of positions by speculators, driven by rising demand from alloy-makers in the spot market and a better trend in metals at the London Metal Exchange as Chinese measure of manufacturing that rose to the highest since February 2015.