Energy Stocks, Including Schlumberger, Making Big Moves on December 21, 2012

The market has been slipping so far today. The Nasdaq has fallen 2%; the S&P 500 is trading down 1.9%; and the Dow has declined 1.4%. 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) is down 1.7%, outperforming the market overall. Currently, the biggest movers in the sector are:

Company	Market Cap	Percentage Change
Alon USA Energy (NYSE:ALJ)	$880.5 million	+6.3%
CGG Veritas (NYSE:CGV)	$4.71 billion	-5.4%
Tidewater (NYSE:TDW)	$2.34 billion	-3.1%
Schlumberger (NYSE:SLB)	$94.39 billion	-2.6%
InterOil Corporation (NYSE:IOC)	$2.81 billion	-2.4%
Bonanza Creek Energy (NYSE:BCEI)	$1.12 billion	+2.3%
National Oilwell (NYSE:NOV)	$29.69 billion	-2.2%

Broker Summary: Fidelity Online Brokerage

Alon USA Energy (NYSE:ALJ) has risen 6.3% to hit a current price of $15.28 per share. So far today, 347,599 shares have changed hands.

Currently trading at $29.33 per share, CGG Veritas (NYSE:CGV) has fallen 5.4%. At 6,571 shares, the company's volume so far today is consistent with the volume from yesterday lighter than yesterday's volume of 15,056 shares.

Falling 3.1%, Tidewater (NYSE:TDW) is currently at a share price of $45.53. This morning, the company is trading a volume of 221,478 shares. This is consistent with its current three-month average.

Schlumberger (NYSE:SLB) is trading at $69.25 per share, down 2.6%. The company's volume is currently 5.9 million shares for the day, 0.7 times the average daily volume.

InterOil Corporation (NYSE:IOC) is currently trading at a share price of $56.77, a 2.4% decline. The company is currently trading a volume of 144,987 shares.

Bonanza Creek Energy (NYSE:BCEI) has increased to a share price of $28.59, a 2.3% rise. This morning, 299,245 shares have been traded,.

At $68.02, National Oilwell (NYSE:NOV) has slipped 2.2%. The company's volume for the day so far is 1.7 million shares. This is 0.3 times its current three-month average.

The Bottom Line On any given day, a particular stock may see positive or negative change in its share price. Daily stock performance should be weighed against historical performance and put in context of the market overall. However, these fundamental metrics must be analyzed with historic data, industry information in addition to firm specific financial statements.