TRAVEL

American Express Weighs Acquisition: The company, which operates the nation’s biggest travel agency business, is expected to expand its influence in the business by buying the U.S. travel offices of London-based Thomas Cook Group Ltd. The Wall Street Journal and USA Today reported that the companies have agreed to the deal, which is likely to be announced today. They said terms could not be learned. A buyout would create a travel company that handles about $10 billion in annual travel sales, more than three times the $3 billion handled by the second-largest U.S. travel company, Carlson Travel Network, the newspapers said.