AXTI jumps before market open on tight indium phosphide supply
AXT, Inc. climbed again in early trading Monday, adding to Friday's strong rally as investors looked at indium phosphide supply. AXTI closed at $97.18 Friday, up 10.01%. Shares traded between $87.22 and $103.50 with more than 10 million shares changing hands. In premarket trading, StockAnalysis pegged the price at $110.41 at 6:13 a.m. EDT, before the main session and when trading is less liquid. AXT shares are climbing with traders watching the company as a niche player in the AI data-center supply chain. TipRanks said Friday AXTI stock was gaining after reports of delays in Chinese indium phosphide export approvals, which have sparked talk of a possible shortage. Indium phosphide, or InP, is a compound semiconductor for optical chips that send data via light instead of electricity. Reuters said InP is seen as speeding up AI data centers and making them more efficient. SemiAnalysis analyst Konrad Wang told the news service, “InP is one of several supply chain bottlenecks collectively gating AI data centre buildouts.”