With just a few hours of trade left in the week, the S&P/ASX 200 Index (ASX: XJO) is virtually flat since last Friday's closing bell, but don't blame these three surging ASX 200 stocks.
One of this week's outperformers is involved in the critical metals space, the second is investing in AI infrastructure, and the third is a major Aussie gold miner.
Which outperforming ASX 200 stocks am I talking about?
I'm glad you asked!
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Capricorn Metals Ltd (ASX: CMM) shares continue strong momentum
First up, we have Capricorn Metals.
Shares in the ASX gold miner closed last Friday trading for $11.77. At the time of writing, shares are changing hands for $13.65 apiece. That puts this ASX 200 stock up 16% in this week's flat market.
There was no fresh price-sensitive news out from Capricorn Metals this week.
But the stock will have enjoyed an improving gold price and outlook amid rising hopes for a Middle East peace deal this week.
Capricorn Metals released its quarterly results after market close on 28 April.
With the miner reporting record quarterly cash flow from operations of $143.1 million and declaring its first-ever dividend, investor interest remained strong this week.
Moving on…
ASX 200 stock Infratil Ltd (ASX: IFT) rockets on data centre news
The second-best performing ASX 200 stock on my list for the week is infrastructure investment company Infratil.
Infratil shares closed last week trading for $10.45 and are currently trading for $12.42, up 18.9%.
Most of those gains were delivered on Wednesday.
Infratil shares closed up 15% on the day after announcing that data centre operator CDC had inked a 30-year contract for 555MW in new data centre capacity with a major United States customer.
Infratil is the largest shareholder in CDC.
Investors reacted positively to Wednesday's announcement, which amounts to Australia's largest data centre contract in history. Indeed, the contract is equivalent to some 40% of Australia's total data centre capacity in 2025.
Commenting on the contract that sent the ASX 200 stock surging on Wednesday, Infratil CEO Jason Boyes said:
This contract reflects the strong global track record CDC has established in delivering large-scale, future-proofed and sustainable data centre campuses, and consolidates its position as the largest data centre provider across Australia and New Zealand.
Which brings us to…
IperionX Ltd (ASX: IPX) shares attract director interest
The best-performing ASX 200 stock on my list this week is titanium products producer IperionX.
IperionX shares closed at $4.50 last Friday. At the time of writing, shares are swapping hands for $5.59, up 24.2% in this week's flat market.
There was no fresh price-sensitive news out from IperionX this week. But investor interest remains strong, with the company potentially enjoying long-term support from increased global defence spending, ramping up demand for critical metals.
Investors may also have noted that the company's directors have been snapping up shares.
As The Motley Fool reported last Friday, IperionX executive chairman Todd Hannigan bought $2.07 million worth of shares in late April. And CEO Anastasios Arima also bought more shares, valued at some $494,000.
