SM and Other Big Movers In Energy on November 1, 2012

The market has been doing well after the morning's trading. The Nasdaq has moved up 1.3%; the S&P 500 has climbed 1%; and the Dow has risen 1.2%. 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 up 0.3%, underperforming the market overall. The biggest movers in the sector are currently:

Company	Market Cap	Percentage Change
SM (NYSE:SM)	$3.51 billion	+11.5%
Berry Petroleum (NYSE:BRY)	$2.09 billion	-10.4%
Bill (NYSE:BBG)	$1.1 billion	-7.5%
Swift Energy (NYSE:SFY)	$716.6 million	-7.5%
WPX Energy (NYSE:WPX)	$3.37 billion	-6.8%
Walter Energy (NYSE:WLT)	$2.19 billion	+6.3%
Unit (NYSE:UNT)	$1.96 billion	+6.2%

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SM (NYSE:SM) has soared 11.5% to reach a current price of $60.10 per share. So far today, the company's volume is 1.5 million shares, more than yesterday's 1.3 million shares.

Berry Petroleum (NYSE:BRY) is currently trading at $34.52 per share, after a steep drop of 10.4%. This morning, the company is trading a volume of 975,189 shares. This is 1.5 times its current three-month average.

Bill (NYSE:BBG) has fallen 7.5% and is currently trading at $21.19 per share. So far today, the company's volume is 1.5 million shares.

Currently trading at $15.46 per share, Swift Energy (NYSE:SFY) has fallen 7.5%. So far today, the company's volume is 927,994 shares, 1.4 times the average daily volume.

After a decline of 6.8%, WPX Energy (NYSE:WPX) has hit a share price of $15.78. So far today, the company's volume is 3.6 million shares. Yesterday's volume was only 2.3 million shares.

Increasing 6.3%, Walter Energy (NYSE:WLT) is trading at $37.15 per share. With 1.4 million shares changing hands so far today, the company's volume is 0.3 times its current three-month average.

Unit (NYSE:UNT) has risen 6.2% and is currently trading at $42.85 per share. So far today, 87,890 shares have changed hands.

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.