Korea Electric Power Corporation and Other Utilities Stocks Making Big Moves on October 22, 2012

After the morning's trading, the Nasdaq has climbed 0.5%, the S&P 500 has remained steady and the Dow remains relatively unchanged. 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 trading up 0.3% overall, and these are the biggest movers in the sector so far:

Company	Market Cap	Percentage Change
Avista (NYSE:AVA)	$1.56 billion	-3.5%
Companhia Paranaense de Energia (NYSE:ELP)	$4.23 billion	+2.7%
Dynegy (NYSE:DYN)	$1.9 billion	-2.5%
American States (NYSE:AWR)	$818.3 million	+2.3%
Korea Electric Power Corporation (NYSE:KEP)	$15.87 billion	+1.9%
Piedmont Natural Gas Company (NYSE:PNY)	$2.32 billion	-1.5%
Targa (NYSE:TRGP)	$2.1 billion	-1.4%

Broker Summary: Fidelity Online Brokerage

Slipping 3.5%, Avista (NYSE:AVA) is currently trading at $25.54 per share. The company's volume is currently 816,742 shares for the day, 3.5 times its current three-month average.

After rising 2.7%, Companhia Paranaense de Energia (NYSE:ELP) is currently trading at a share price of $15.89. This morning, the company is trading a volume of 284,651 shares.

At $18.47, Dynegy (NYSE:DYN) has slipped 2.5%. At 981,547 shares, the company's volume so far today is 0.7 times the average daily volume.

American States (NYSE:AWR) is currently trading at $44.22 per share, a 2.3% increase. So far today, the company's volume is 139,709 shares. Yesterday's volume was only 127,853 shares.

After an increase of 1.9%, Korea Electric Power Corporation (NYSE:KEP) has reached a current price of $12.59. The company's volume for the day so far is 742,248 shares, 1.6 times the current three-month average.

Piedmont Natural Gas Company (NYSE:PNY) is currently trading at a share price of $31.77, a 1.5% decline. So far today, the company's volume is 310,287 shares.

Currently trading at $48.91 per share, Targa (NYSE:TRGP) has fallen 1.4%. At 340,058 shares, the company's volume so far today is two times the average daily volume.

The Bottom Line No matter the economic climate, Wall Street will always have stocks that make major moves each week. Daily stock performance should be weighed against historical performance and put in context of the market overall. 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.