HOUSTON, March 19 (Reuters) - Brazilian miner Vale expects nickel markets to swing to a global deficit by 2028 from their current oversupply, an executive said on Tuesday.

"We are very strong on nickel fundamentals," Vale Chief Sustainability and Corporate Affairs Officer Emily Olson told the CERAWeek energy conference in Houston. "Despite the short-term pain, we see the long-term gain." (Reporting by Ernest Scheyder; Editing by Simon Webb and Leslie Adler)