  Suspensions of magnetic nanoplatelets in isotropic solvents are very
interesting examples of ferrofluids. It has been shown that above a certain
concentration {\Phi}NI such suspensions form a ferromagnetic nematic phase,
which makes this system a unique example of a dipolar fluid. The formation of a
nematic phase is driven by anisotropic electrostatic and long-range dipolar
magnetic interactions. Here, we present studies of the evolution of short range
positional and orientational magnetic order in the suspensions with volume
fractions below and above {\Phi}NI, using small angle neutron scattering
(SANS). The results show that in the absence of an external magnetic field,
short range positional and orientational order already exist at relatively low
volume fractions. Polarized SANS revealed that the contribution of
ferromagnetic ordering to the formation of the nematic phase is significant.
The ferromagnetic correlations can be qualitatively explained by a simple
model, which takes into account anisotropic screened electrostatic and dipolar
magnetic interactions.
