Huaneng Power International, Inc and Other Utilities Stocks Making Big Moves on December 5, 2012

Currently, the Nasdaq is down 1%, the S&P 500 has fallen 0.1% and the Dow is trading up 0.2%. 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.

These are the biggest movers in the Utilities sector (XLU) (+0.4%):

Company	Market Cap	Percentage Change
Huaneng Power International, Inc (NYSE:HNP)	$12.44 billion	+3%
Exterran Partners (Nasdaq:EXLP)	$933.2 million	-1.9%
Oneok (NYSE:OKS)	$12.38 billion	-1.5%
American Water Works Co (NYSE:AWK)	$6.71 billion	-1.5%
Atlas (NYSE:ATLS)	$1.75 billion	+1.3%
Companhia de Saneamento Basico (NYSE:SBS)	$9.31 billion	-1.3%
Markwest Energy (NYSE:MWE)	$7.05 billion	-1.1%

Broker Summary: E-Trade Financial

Huaneng Power International, Inc (NYSE:HNP) is at $36.45 per share after an increase of 3%. The company's volume for the morning is 22,571 shares. This is 0.4 times the average daily volume.

Exterran Partners (Nasdaq:EXLP) is trading at $21.65 per share, down 1.9%. The company's volume is currently 32,298 shares for the day, while it was 604,470 shares yesterday.

Falling 1.5%, Oneok (NYSE:OKS) is currently at a share price of $55.48. This morning, the company is trading a volume of 226,385 shares.

Slipping 1.5%, American Water Works Co (NYSE:AWK) is currently trading at $37.41 per share. So far today, the company's volume is 535,061 shares, 0.7 times its average over the past three months.

Increasing 1.3%, Atlas (NYSE:ATLS) is trading at $34.41 per share. This morning, the company's volume is 73,119 shares. This is 0.2 times its current daily average.

Companhia de Saneamento Basico (NYSE:SBS) has fallen 1.3% and is currently trading at $80.66 per share. This morning, 135,997 shares have been traded,.

Markwest Energy (NYSE:MWE) is down 1.1% to reach $50.70 per share. So far today, the company's volume is 156,099 shares.

The Bottom Line On any given day, a particular stock may see positive or negative change in its share price. It is important to weigh current activity against historical performance when making any investment decisions. However, these fundamental metrics must be analyzed with historic data, industry information in addition to firm specific financial statements.