iRobot gains ahead of UK antitrust decision on Amazon deal
Justin Sullivan

iRobot (NASDAQ:IRBT) gained 1.3% on Wednesday after advancing 3.5% on Tuesday and has risen for five of the last six sessions ahead of a Friday deadline for the UK's antitrust regulator to decide if its planned sale to Amazon (NASDAQ:AMZN) will be moved into an in-depth review. 
The recent stock gains also come after the Federal Trade Commission recently held three closed door meetings, where some investors expected the agency could vote to block the $1.7 billion iRobot (IRBT) sale. The FTC held a closed door meeting last Wednesday and had two closed door sessions on Monday. 
iRobot (IRBT) received a second request from the FTC in September to do a more in-depth review of the Amazon (AMZN) deal. In April, the UK's Competition and Markets Authority announced the commencement of a Phase 1 probe into the iRobot (IRBT) transaction. 
iRobot (IRBT) jumped 9.2% on June 1 after Dealreporter said Amazon (AMZN) had certified substantial compliance with the FTC regarding its planned acquisition of the Roomba vacuum maker. Amazon confirmed the company certified, though it declined to say if the parties signed a timing agreement with the regulator.

iRobot (IRBT) shares have jumped about 20% since the June 1 story, though the robot vacuum maker is still trading at a 30% discount to the $61 a share deal price. The deal spread is the narrowest since late April. iRobot's recent gains could also be due to a short squeeze, according to traders, as the company has 11.6% short interest.
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