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

WHAT’S HOT

Trading started slowly this week, but picked up steam midweek when Salomon was acquired by Travelers Group. Salomon stock rose $4.75 a share to close at $76.25 Wednesday and $76.38 Friday on the New York Stock Exchange. Travelers will acquire Salomon for stock valued at about $81 a share - a $9 billion deal. Travelers will merge Salomon with its Smith Barney brokerage division. Also on Wednesday, Avis Rent A Car’s stock was valued at $22.50 a share, up from its initial offering of $17 a share. HFS of Parsippany, N.J., sold 19.5 million Avis shares for $331.5 million, or $17 each, in an initial public offering. Avis stock closed at $23.44 on Friday’s NYSE.

WHAT’S NOT

The Italian luxury-goods maker, Gucci Group, posted disappointing first-half profits and, citing lower profit margins and decreased Japanese tourism, cautioned that second-half growth also may be disappointing. On Wednesday, Gucci stock dropped $10.88 a share to close at $47.38 and slipped to $44 a share Friday on the NYSE … On Tuesday, Aetna, the big insurance provider, saw its stock slide $9.06 per share to $93.69 on speculation about lower third-quarter earnings. Aetna is based in Hartford, Conn. Its stock closed at $90.50 a share Friday on the NYSE.