FRANKFURT/PARIS (dpa-AFX) - After strong guidance from Japan, securities from the European semiconductor industry were among the winners on the stock markets on Thursday. In the Dax, Infineon gained 1.9 percent, in Paris STMicroelectronics rose by 2.3 percent and in Amsterdam ASML rose by 2.1 percent and BE Semiconductor by 1.7 percent.

Good news from Japan on the chip industry had caused prices there to rise sharply. For example, the U.S. manufacturer Micron Technology plans to invest up to 500 billion yen in manufacturing in the country in the coming years. According to circles Japan's government is to demand the project financially.

According to a media report, the global Japanese semiconductor company Renesas Electronics also wants to boost manufacturing capacity for components for cars by 2026. The stock subsequently gained 5 percent. The GS Japan Semiconductors sector index rose 4.4 percent./bek/jha/