FirstEnergy Among Utilities' Biggest Movers on December 27, 2012

The Nasdaq has declined 0.7%, the S&P 500 has fallen 0.8% and the Dow has slipped 0.6%, marking a bad morning for the market. The utilities sector is a category of stocks for utilities such as gas and power. It contains companies such as electric, gas and water firms and integrated providers. Because utilities require significant infrastructure, these firms often carry large amounts of debt. With a high debt load, utilities companies become sensitive to changes in the interest rate. As interest rates rise or drop, the debt payments will increase or decrease. The utilities sector performs best when interest rates are falling or remain low.

The Utilities sector (XLU) is currently ahead of the overall market, down only 0.7%, and its biggest movers are currently:

Company	Market Cap	Percentage Change
Companhia Energetica Minas Gerais (NYSE:CIG)	$10.53 billion	-12.1%
Exterran Partners (Nasdaq:EXLP)	$839.4 million	+1.9%
Atlas (NYSE:ATLS)	$1.69 billion	+1.9%
New Jersey (NYSE:NJR)	$1.66 billion	-1.7%
Atmos (NYSE:ATO)	$3.18 billion	-1.5%
Western Gas (NYSE:WES)	$4.47 billion	-1.2%
FirstEnergy (NYSE:FE)	$17.43 billion	-1.2%

Broker Summary: Fidelity Online Brokerage

Companhia Energetica Minas Gerais (NYSE:CIG) is currently trading at $10.86 per share, after a steep drop of 12.1%. The company's volume for the morning is 3.2 million shares. This is in keeping with its current daily average.

Exterran Partners (Nasdaq:EXLP) has moved up 1.9% and is currently trading at $20.24 per share. At 23,750 shares, the company's volume so far today is 0.2 times the average volume over the last three months.

After rising 1.9%, Atlas (NYSE:ATLS) is currently trading at a share price of $33.47. So far today, 104,408 shares have changed hands.

New Jersey (NYSE:NJR) is trading at $39.23 per share, down 1.7%. The company's volume is currently 53,233 shares for the day, lighter than yesterday's volume of 226,461 shares.

Atmos (NYSE:ATO) is down 1.5% to reach $34.63 per share. So far this morning, 90,960 shares have changed hands. This is 0.2 times its average daily volume.

Western Gas (NYSE:WES) has fallen 1.2% and is currently trading at $46.01 per share. So far today, the company's volume is 43,765 shares, 0.2 times its current three-month average.

FirstEnergy (NYSE:FE) has fallen 1.2% and is currently trading at $41.19 per share. The company's volume for the day so far is 741,277 shares.

The Bottom Line The nature of the market is such that stocks will have good days and bad days. 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.