AMAZON ACQUISITION

Shares of leading robot maker iRobot rose around 39% on Friday after reports emerged that the European Union (EU) could approve Amazon's $1.7 billion acquisition of the company. If completed, the highly anticipated deal would be Amazon's fourth-largest transaction in its history.

iRobot, which is widely known as the maker of the popular Roomba vacuum cleaners, has seen its stock value rise significantly on the back of news leaked by Reuters on Thursday. That report suggested that the deal "will win unconditional EU antitrust approval," citing three unnamed sources privy to the matter.

The European Commission, which is the decision-making body within the European Union, is expected to issue a decision on the deal by February 14. No official confirmation from the Commission has yet been issued, and its representatives refrained from immediate comment when asked by CNBC. Meanwhile, the fate of the deal continues to hover under the scrutiny of the U.S. Federal Trade Commission.

US multinational technology company Amazon gestured its commitment to take over iRobot for full cash in August 2022, offering to buy the company for $61 per share. This pending acquisition follows Amazon's notable $13.7 billion purchase of Whole Foods in 2017, its $8.45 billion acquisition of major movie studio MGM in 2021, and its most recent acquisition of One Medical, a boutique primary care provider, for $3.9 billion, unveiled last July.

While iRobot's stock experienced a strong run-up, Amazon's stock showed no significant changes and remained flat.