Get Nickel - LME 3-month (NI3M) Historical Prices for your Financial Analysis using this API

In the rapidly evolving landscape of financial markets, the demand for accurate and timely data is paramount. For those involved in the trading and analysis of metals, having access to historical prices is crucial for making informed decisions. Nickel, represented by the symbol XNI, is one of the key metals traded on the London Metal Exchange (LME). This blog post will explore how to obtain historical prices for Nickel using the Metals-API, a powerful tool that provides real-time and historical data for various metals.

About Nickel (XNI)

Nickel is a versatile metal that plays a critical role in various industries, particularly in the production of stainless steel and batteries. As the world moves towards digital transformation, the metal markets are also experiencing significant changes driven by technological innovation and advancements in data analytics. The integration of smart technology into metal trading is paving the way for more efficient and transparent markets.

With the rise of data analytics, traders and analysts can now gain deeper insights into market trends and price movements. The Metals-API offers a comprehensive solution for accessing historical prices, allowing users to analyze Nickel's price fluctuations over time. This capability is essential for understanding market dynamics and making strategic trading decisions.

Metals-API Overview

The Metals-API is designed to empower developers and analysts by providing access to real-time and historical metals data. The API is built on modern technology, ensuring that users can retrieve accurate information quickly and efficiently. With a focus on innovation, the Metals-API enables the development of next-generation applications that can leverage real-time data for various use cases.

One of the standout features of the Metals-API is its ability to provide historical rates for Nickel and other metals dating back to 2008. This extensive historical data is invaluable for financial analysis, allowing users to track price trends and make informed predictions about future movements.

Key Features of Metals-API

The Metals-API offers a variety of endpoints that cater to different data needs. Here are some of the key features that developers can leverage:

Latest Rates Endpoint: This endpoint provides real-time exchange rate data for Nickel and other metals. Depending on your subscription plan, the data can be updated every 60 minutes, every 10 minutes, or even more frequently.
Historical Rates Endpoint: Users can access historical rates for Nickel by appending a specific date to the API request. This feature allows for in-depth analysis of price trends over time.
Bid and Ask Endpoint: This powerful feature enables users to retrieve real-time bid and ask prices for Nickel, providing insights into market liquidity and pricing dynamics.
Convert Endpoint: The Metals-API includes a currency conversion endpoint, allowing users to convert amounts from one metal to another or to/from USD, facilitating easier financial analysis.
Time-Series Endpoint: This endpoint allows users to query the API for daily historical rates between two specified dates, making it easier to analyze trends over specific periods.
Fluctuation Endpoint: Users can track how Nickel prices fluctuate on a day-to-day basis, providing insights into market volatility.
Open/High/Low/Close (OHLC) Price Endpoint: This endpoint provides detailed OHLC data for Nickel, allowing users to analyze price movements within specific time frames.
Historical LME Endpoint: This endpoint provides access to historical rates for LME symbols, including Nickel, dating back to 2008.
API Key: Each user is assigned a unique API key that must be included in requests to authenticate and authorize access to the API.
API Response: The Metals-API delivers exchange rates relative to USD, ensuring consistency and ease of use for developers.
Supported Symbols Endpoint: This endpoint provides a constantly updated list of all available metal symbols, including Nickel, making it easy for users to find the data they need.
News Endpoint: Users can retrieve the latest news articles related to Nickel and other metals, keeping them informed about market developments.

Understanding API Responses

When using the Metals-API, understanding the structure of the API responses is crucial for effective data analysis. Here’s a breakdown of the response fields for various endpoints:

Latest Rates Endpoint

{
    "success": true,
    "timestamp": 1750514415,
    "base": "USD",
    "date": "2025-06-21",
    "rates": {
        "XAU": 0.000482,
        "XAG": 0.03815,
        "XPT": 0.000912,
        "XPD": 0.000744,
        "XCU": 0.294118,
        "XAL": 0.434783,
        "XNI": 0.142857,
        "XZN": 0.344828
    },
    "unit": "per troy ounce"
}

The response includes a success flag indicating whether the request was successful, a timestamp of the data retrieval, the base currency (USD), the date of the rates, and the rates for various metals, including Nickel (XNI).

Historical Rates Endpoint

{
    "success": true,
    "timestamp": 1750428015,
    "base": "USD",
    "date": "2025-06-20",
    "rates": {
        "XAU": 0.000485,
        "XAG": 0.03825,
        "XPT": 0.000915,
        "XPD": 0.000748
    },
    "unit": "per troy ounce"
}

This response format is similar to the latest rates but focuses on historical data for a specific date. Users can analyze how Nickel's price has changed over time.

Time-Series Endpoint

{
    "success": true,
    "timeseries": true,
    "start_date": "2025-06-14",
    "end_date": "2025-06-21",
    "base": "USD",
    "rates": {
        "2025-06-14": {
            "XAU": 0.000485,
            "XAG": 0.03825,
            "XPT": 0.000915
        },
        "2025-06-16": {
            "XAU": 0.000483,
            "XAG": 0.0382,
            "XPT": 0.000913
        },
        "2025-06-21": {
            "XAU": 0.000482,
            "XAG": 0.03815,
            "XPT": 0.000912
        }
    },
    "unit": "per troy ounce"
}

This endpoint provides a time series of rates between two specified dates, allowing users to visualize trends and fluctuations over time.

Convert Endpoint

{
    "success": true,
    "query": {
        "from": "USD",
        "to": "XAU",
        "amount": 1000
    },
    "info": {
        "timestamp": 1750514415,
        "rate": 0.000482
    },
    "result": 0.482,
    "unit": "troy ounces"
}

The convert endpoint allows users to convert a specified amount from one metal to another, providing the conversion rate and the result in the desired unit.

Fluctuation Endpoint

{
    "success": true,
    "fluctuation": true,
    "start_date": "2025-06-14",
    "end_date": "2025-06-21",
    "base": "USD",
    "rates": {
        "XAU": {
            "start_rate": 0.000485,
            "end_rate": 0.000482,
            "change": -3.0e-6,
            "change_pct": -0.62
        },
        "XAG": {
            "start_rate": 0.03825,
            "end_rate": 0.03815,
            "change": -0.0001,
            "change_pct": -0.26
        },
        "XPT": {
            "start_rate": 0.000915,
            "end_rate": 0.000912,
            "change": -3.0e-6,
            "change_pct": -0.33
        }
    },
    "unit": "per troy ounce"
}

This endpoint provides insights into how prices fluctuate over a specified period, which is essential for understanding market volatility.

OHLC (Open/High/Low/Close) Price Endpoint

{
    "success": true,
    "timestamp": 1750514415,
    "base": "USD",
    "date": "2025-06-21",
    "rates": {
        "XAU": {
            "open": 0.000485,
            "high": 0.000487,
            "low": 0.000481,
            "close": 0.000482
        },
        "XAG": {
            "open": 0.03825,
            "high": 0.0383,
            "low": 0.0381,
            "close": 0.03815
        },
        "XPT": {
            "open": 0.000915,
            "high": 0.000918,
            "low": 0.00091,
            "close": 0.000912
        }
    },
    "unit": "per troy ounce"
}

This endpoint provides detailed OHLC data, which is crucial for traders who rely on candlestick patterns for technical analysis.

Bid/Ask Endpoint

{
    "success": true,
    "timestamp": 1750514415,
    "base": "USD",
    "date": "2025-06-21",
    "rates": {
        "XAU": {
            "bid": 0.000481,
            "ask": 0.000483,
            "spread": 2.0e-6
        },
        "XAG": {
            "bid": 0.0381,
            "ask": 0.0382,
            "spread": 0.0001
        },
        "XPT": {
            "bid": 0.000911,
            "ask": 0.000913,
            "spread": 2.0e-6
        }
    },
    "unit": "per troy ounce"
}

The bid/ask endpoint provides current bid and ask prices, which are essential for traders looking to execute orders at the best possible prices.

Practical Use Cases and Integration Strategies

Integrating the Metals-API into your applications can unlock numerous possibilities for financial analysis and trading strategies. Here are some practical use cases:

Automated Trading Systems: Developers can build automated trading systems that leverage real-time and historical data from the Metals-API to execute trades based on predefined criteria.
Market Analysis Tools: Analysts can create sophisticated market analysis tools that visualize price trends and fluctuations for Nickel, helping traders make informed decisions.
Risk Management Solutions: By utilizing the fluctuation and OHLC endpoints, developers can build risk management solutions that assess market volatility and help traders mitigate risks.
Portfolio Management Applications: The API can be integrated into portfolio management applications to track the performance of Nickel and other metals, providing users with insights into their investments.

Security Considerations and Best Practices

When integrating the Metals-API, it is essential to consider security best practices to protect sensitive data and ensure the integrity of your applications. Here are some recommendations:

API Key Management: Keep your API key secure and do not expose it in client-side code. Use server-side code to make API requests whenever possible.
Rate Limiting: Be aware of the rate limits associated with your subscription plan and implement strategies to manage API requests efficiently.
Error Handling: Implement robust error handling to gracefully manage API errors and provide users with meaningful feedback.
Data Validation: Validate and sanitize all data received from the API to prevent potential security vulnerabilities.

Conclusion

In conclusion, the Metals-API provides a comprehensive solution for accessing historical prices and real-time data for Nickel and other metals. By leveraging the various endpoints offered by the API, developers and analysts can gain valuable insights into market trends, make informed trading decisions, and build innovative applications that harness the power of real-time metals data. As the metal markets continue to evolve, the integration of smart technology and data analytics will play a crucial role in shaping the future of trading.

For more information on how to get started with the Metals-API, visit the Metals-API Documentation and explore the Metals-API Supported Symbols for a complete list of available metals. To begin your journey with real-time metals data, check out the Metals-API Website.

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Get Nickel - LME 3-month (NI3M) Historical Prices for your Financial Analysis using this API