TOTAL S.A and Other Energy Stocks Making Big Moves on November 23, 2012

The morning has been good for the market. The Nasdaq has increased 1.3%; the S&P 500 has climbed 1%; and the Dow is trading up 1%. 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.

Underperforming the market overall, the Energy sector (XLE) is up 0.8%, and these are its current biggest movers:

Company	Market Cap	Percentage Change
China Petroleum & Chemical Corp (NYSE:SNP)	$91.03 billion	+3%
NuStar Energy (NYSE:NS)	$3.29 billion	+2.4%
Eni S.p.A (NYSE:E)	$82.8 billion	+2.2%
TOTAL S.A (NYSE:TOT)	$110.81 billion	+1.7%
Anadarko (NYSE:APC)	$36.24 billion	+1.5%
IHS (NYSE:IHS)	$5.88 billion	+1.3%
CNOOC Limited (NYSE:CEO)	$93.65 billion	+1.3%

Forex Broker Summary: Forex Capital Markets (FXCM)

China Petroleum & Chemical Corp (NYSE:SNP) has risen 3% to hit a current price of $107.88 per share. The company's volume for the day so far is 41,969 shares.

NuStar Energy (NYSE:NS) is at $43.20 per share after an increase of 2.4%. With 171,217 shares changing hands so far today, the company's volume is 0.2 times its average over the past three months.

Increasing 2.2%, Eni S.p.A (NYSE:E) is trading at $46.72 per share. So far today, the company's volume is 104,872 shares.

TOTAL S.A (NYSE:TOT) has risen 1.7% and is currently trading at $49.97 per share. So far today, the company's volume is 591,192 shares, 0.3 times its current daily average.

Anadarko (NYSE:APC) is up 1.5% to reach a current price of $73.60 per share. So far today, the company's volume is 769,580 shares. This is a sign that there will be less trading activity than there was yesterday.

After rising 1.3%, IHS (NYSE:IHS) is currently trading at a share price of $90.31. So far today, the company's volume is 38,128 shares, 0.1 times the average volume over the last three months.

CNOOC Limited (NYSE:CEO) has risen 1.3% to hit a current price of $212.30 per share. The company's volume for the day so far is 27,590 shares.

The Bottom Line On any given day, a particular stock may see positive or negative change in its share price. 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.