Falling gasoline prices contributed significantly to the decline, although even after excluding fuel and food from the total sales rose just 0.2% last month, trailing market expectations for a 0.4% advance. Material and tech stocks led U.S. shares higher, with the proposed merger of Orbitz Worldwide and Expedia ( EXPE ) pushing other travel-reservation websites higher today, including TripAdvisor ( TRIP ) and Liberty TripAdvisor ( LTRPA ). (+) OWW, Accepts $1.34 bln buyout by Expedia ( EXPE ), which will pay $12 for each OWW share, a 25% premium over Wednesday's closing price.