Shares of technology companies rose as a speculative boom in the sector continued.

The SPDR Select Sector Technology exchange-traded fund, which tracks the multitrillion-dollar tech sector of the S&P 500, is up about 20% since Oct. 26, and there's no sign of the artificial-intelligence rally running out of steam.

Investment firms Carlyle Group and Insight Partners agreed to buy risk-management software and services provider Exiger for about $1.2 billion.

Shares of ride-hailing concern Lyft fell after two insiders sold shares of the ride-hailing company.

Google parent Alphabet agreed to pay $700 million and make certain changes to its app store, settling one of several antitrust challenges to the search-engine company.

Software and e-commerce services supplier Ebix, facing interest-rate pressures and fallout from auditing questions, has filed for bankruptcy with a roughly $400 million offer in hand for its North American life and annuity business.


Write to Rob Curran at rob.curran@dowjones.com

(END) Dow Jones Newswires

12-19-23 1822ET