BUZZ-Expedia falls after downbeat bookings forecast due to Mideast conflict

Expedia Group

Expedia Group

EXPE

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** Shares of online travel platform Expedia Group Inc EXPE.O drop 8.4% to $231.49 in premarket

** Co forecasts second-quarter gross bookings below Wall Street estimates, citing an impact from the Middle East conflict ** Expects Q2 gross bookings of $32.5 billion to $33.1 billion, with the midpoint slightly below analysts' average estimate of $33 billion - LSEG-compiled data

** "In March, we did see the impact of the conflict in the Middle East. While the Middle East is only about 2% of our business, we saw cancellations across Europe and Asia," CEO Ariane Gorin said ** As of Thursday's close, EXPE shares have fallen about 10.8% YTD