1125 GMT - Schneider Electric's proposed acquisition of Boston-based PTC marks the latest foray into software for a company that has shown repeated appetite for engineering-software assets, J.P. Morgan analysts say in a research note. "A completed deal would be a rare cross-border software transaction amid a marked sector slowdown as companies assess AI's implications for their business models," the analysts say. The $22.6 billion deal far eclipses the French industrial group's $11 billion purchase of Aveva in 2023 and its $3.1 billion agreement to acquire Cognite in June, the analysts add. For PTC, the price of the deal is in the same region as what was speculated last year with Autodesk, according to JPM. Schneider shares fall 9.9%, while PTC's surge 37% in U.S. premarket trading.