Chevron and More Big Movers in Energy on October 10, 2012

So far today, the Nasdaq is unchanged, the S&P 500 is down 0.2% and the Dow has fallen 0.5%. The energy sector is the category of stocks that relate to producing or supplying energy. This sector includes companies involved in the exploration and development of oil or gas reserves, oil and gas drilling, or integrated power firms. Performance in the sector is largely driven by the supply and demand for worldwide energy. Energy producers will do very well during times of high oil and gas prices, but will earn less when the value of energy drops. Furthermore, this sector is sensitive to political events, which historically have driven changes in the price of oil.

The Energy sector (XLE) has fallen 1.3% despite little change in the market overall. The biggest movers in the sector so far are:

Company	Market Cap	Percentage Change
Tesoro (NYSE:TSO)	$5.73 billion	-5.1%
Western Refining (NYSE:WNR)	$2.39 billion	-4.8%
Valero (NYSE:VLO)	$17.32 billion	-3.7%
Chevron (NYSE:CVX)	$230.28 billion	-3.5%
AmeriGas Partners (NYSE:APU)	$4.02 billion	+2.4%
Peabody Energy (NYSE:BTU)	$6.42 billion	+2%
Eni S.p.A (NYSE:E)	$80.53 billion	+1.9%

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Tesoro (NYSE:TSO) is down 5.1% to reach $38.90 per share. At 3.1 million shares, the company's volume so far today is 0.9 times its current three-month average. When a stock price moves up or down, watching the volume is a good way of identifying how significant that shift is.

Western Refining (NYSE:WNR) has fallen 4.8% and is currently trading at $24.99 per share. The company is currently trading a volume of 913,815 shares. Price change alone is not enough to know how a stock is doing. Volume is an important secondary indicator used to confirm trends suggested by price movement.

Valero (NYSE:VLO) has decreased to $30.23 per share, a 3.7% fall. At 4.4 million shares, the company's volume so far today is. The trading volume for a stock indicates the level of investor interest.

Currently trading at $113.22 per share, Chevron (NYSE:CVX) has fallen 3.5%. The company's volume for the morning is 8.1 million shares. This is 1.5 times the average daily volume. Volume indicates the level of interest that investors have in a company at its current price.

After an increase of 2.4%, AmeriGas Partners (NYSE:APU) has reached a current price of $44.34. The company's volume for the day so far is 57,323 shares, consistent with its average over the last three months. Volume is used to evaluate how meaningful the price movement of a stock is.

Peabody Energy (NYSE:BTU) has risen 2% and is currently trading at $24.40 per share. This morning, the company is trading a volume of 5.7 million shares. If a stock price moves on high volume, this means that the change is a significant one.

Eni S.p.A (NYSE:E) has risen 1.9% to hit a current price of $45.31 per share. The company's volume is currently 263,324 shares for the day, lighter than yesterday's volume of 660,259 shares. As a stock moves up or down, it is important to pay attention to the trading volume. This indicates the level of interest: the higher the volume, the more the interest.

The Bottom Line No matter the economic climate, Wall Street will always have stocks that make major moves each week. Paying close attention to the previous ratios will help you identify key times to adjust your strategy. Tools like valuation ratios and profit margins, however, are only as useful as the context you put them in; remember to take historical data and competitor performance into account.