FRANKFURT (dpa-AFX) - Aixtron shares, which have been weak for months, recovered somewhat from their recent losses on Thursday. This was probably triggered by statements from the chip industry-oriented equipment manufacturer on orders in the second half of last year. This is because the Group is countering speculation about weaker business with silicon carbide (SiC) production systems.

Aixtron shares were among the best performers in the MDax, rising 5.8 percent to EUR 22.73. This more than made up for their weak performance the previous day. Figures and forecasts from Dutch industry heavyweight ASML had weighed on the share price. ASML was last listed on the Euronext stock exchange with a plus of 0.7 percent.

Aixtron announced that the US semiconductor group Wolfspeed has placed several orders for the G10 SiC system in the third and fourth quarters of 2023 to expand the production of 200 mm silicon carbide (SiC) wafers.

With the announcement of new orders from Wolfspeed, Aixtron is countering speculation about weak demand, wrote analyst Olivia Honychurch of Jefferies. While the statement has no direct impact on the 2024 order intake, it is clearly a response to recent fears that Wolfspeed is dissatisfied with Aixtron's batch reactor for 200mm SiC wafers.

For investors who have held Aixtron shares since the beginning of the year, however, the price increase is little consolation. With a discount of a good 41 percent, the shares have so far been among the weakest in the MDax, in which only the shares of the cooking box company Hellofresh are in a worse position. The day before, Aixtron had slumped to its lowest level since summer 2022./ajx/ag/jha/