The Ticker A Look Back At The Past Week On Wall Street

What’s hot

In a week when “Asian contagion” caused global economic sniffles, not many issues were torrid. Deposit Guaranty shares rose $4.63 Monday to $57 on the New York Stock Exchange following agreement by First American to acquire its rival Southern bank. Deposit Guaranty posted a $1.19 gain Friday to close the week at $57.31. On Wednesday, shares of Hasbro rose $2.44 to $33.69 on the American Exchange when the toymaker announced it would cut 20 percent of its workforce and buy back $500 million of its own stock. Hasbro shares dropped $1.69 Thursday, but gained $1 Friday to close trading at $33.63.

What’s not

Technology stocks were the most likely to catch the Asian virus this week. Oracle shares plummeted $9.44 Tuesday to $22.94 on the Nasdaq. The database software leader attributed poor quarterly earnings to the Asian crisis and poor exchange rates. Oracle shares rallied 81 cents Friday to close the week trading at $22.75. IBM shares fell $4.88 Thursday to $101.63 (NYSE) amid reports that Big Blue’s recent earnings growth is attributable more to its share-buyback program than to its basic businesses. On Friday, IBM dropped another $1.50 to close the week at $100.13.