The software sector has welcomed a "catalyst"! The rumors of Silver Lake Capital's acquisition have sparked a market surge, with Workday (WDAY.US) soaring nearly 18% in a single day.

According to reports, private equity giant Silver Lake is in talks to acquire human resources software manufacturer Workday (WDAY.US), which is set to create one of the largest software acquisition deals in history. As a result of this news, Workday's stock price surged by as much as 30% during intraday trading on Thursday, triggering temporary halts multiple times, and ultimately closing with a nearly 18% increase, marking its best single-day performance since 2016. The company's current market value is approximately $51 billion.