U.S. semiconductor equipment stocks rise, AXT jumps more than 11%

U.S. semiconductor equipment shares moved higher, led by AXT with a gain of more than 11%, according to MSX.COM data. Applied Materials and MKS Instruments each rose more than 5%, while KLA, Teradyne and Lam Research were up about 2%. The move points to broad strength across chip-equipment names, a group often watched as a barometer for semiconductor capital spending and manufacturing demand.