National Grid plc Among Utilities' Biggest Movers on November 28, 2012

After the morning's trading, the Nasdaq is unchanged, the S&P 500 has moved up 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.

The Utilities sector (XLU) has risen 0.2% so far today and here are its biggest movers:

Company	Market Cap	Percentage Change
Companhia Energetica Minas Gerais (NYSE:CIG)	$10.13 billion	+2.8%
TransAlta Corporation (NYSE:TAC)	$3.89 billion	-2.7%
Niska Gas Storage (NYSE:NKA)	$824.3 million	-2.6%
Huaneng Power International, Inc (NYSE:HNP)	$11.37 billion	+1.9%
National Grid plc (NYSE:NGG)	$40.83 billion	-1.6%
Oneok (NYSE:OKE)	$9.4 billion	-1.5%
Enbridge Inc (NYSE:ENB)	$31.62 billion	+1.3%

Forex Broker Summary: UFXMarkets

Companhia Energetica Minas Gerais (NYSE:CIG) has increased to a share price of $11.77, a 2.8% rise. So far today, 2.4 million shares have changed hands. This is consistent with its current three-month average.

At $15.05, TransAlta Corporation (NYSE:TAC) has slipped 2.7%. So far today, the company's volume is 35,979 shares, consistent with its current daily average.

After a decline of 2.6%, Niska Gas Storage (NYSE:NKA) has hit a share price of $11.65. So far today, the company's volume is 26,390 shares.

Huaneng Power International, Inc (NYSE:HNP) has risen 1.9% to hit a current price of $32.33 per share. So far today, 35,943 shares have changed hands, consistent with the volume from yesterday.

Falling 1.6%, National Grid plc (NYSE:NGG) is currently at a share price of $55.92. The company is currently trading a volume of 163,817 shares. This is 0.3 times its current three-month average.

Oneok (NYSE:OKE) has fallen 1.5% and is currently trading at $44.89 per share. The company's volume is currently 869,973 shares for the day, 0.8 times the average daily volume.

After an increase of 1.3%, Enbridge Inc (NYSE:ENB) has reached a current price of $40.17. So far today, 283,166 shares have changed hands.

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.