* Vale ordered to shut iron ore tailings dams in Brazil
* Vale produces most of its nickel outside Brazil
* Analysts say nickel's gains on Vale disaster overdone (Adds closing prices)By Maytaal AngelLONDON, Feb 5 (Reuters) - Nickel prices fell on Tuesday astraders took profits after betting the metal up to four-monthhighs in the previous session on concerns that Brazilian minerVale could be forced to curtail supply.Nickel surged 5 percent on Monday after a Brazilian statecourt ordered Vale to stop using eight tailings dams following adisaster last month that probably killed more than 300 people. The order will hit nine percent of Vale's iron oreproduction, but analysts say the company's nickel output shouldemerge unscathed."We don't find it credible. (Vale) do have one asset inBrazil but most of their nickel assets are outside the countryand the process of (producing) nickel versus iron ore is notsimilar," said Vivienne Lloyd, an analyst at Macquarie.
NICKEL: Benchmark London Metal Exchange (LME) nickel closed down 1.7 percent in official midday rings at $13,040 atonne, having hit $13,265, not far off Monday's four-month peakat $13,275.TECHNICALS: Nickel on Monday broke through the 200-daymoving average, sparking technical follow-up buying.POSITIONS: LME data shows one firm holding a large short orsell position , while another holds between 50-80percent of cash contracts and warrants , indicating
the firm that is short might get squeezed.NICKEL STOCKS: "Nickel stocks are continuing to decline inthe LME's warehouses , yet this is nothing new.Nickel production is likely to be expanded considerably thisyear. We see no justification for the (price) surge," saidCommerzbank in a note.OTHER METALS: Copper, zinc and lead all hit multi-monthhighs before retreating, with copper reaching atwo-month high, zinc a seven-month high and lead a six-month peak.GLOBAL MARKETS: Miners and banks helped world stocks extendtheir white-hot start to the year, while the dollar wasstraining for a fourth day of gains as traders waited for U.S.President Donald Trump's State of the Union address. TRADE DEAL: U.S. President Donald Trump said last week hewould meet Chinese President Xi Jinping soon to try to seal acomprehensive trade deal as Trump and his trade negotiator bothcited substantial progress in two days of talks.METAL PRICES: Copper ended up 1 percent at $6,231,aluminium ended up 0.2 percent at $1,922, zinc closed down 2.1 percent at $2,741, lead closed down 1.2percent at $2,102 while tin closed up 0.2 percent at$20,850.
<^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^Top Base and Precious Metals Analysis - GFMS ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^> (Additional reporting by Naveen Thukral; Editing by Ed Osmondand David Evans)