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.