Utilities Stocks, Including Duke Energy, Making Big Moves on November 30, 2012

The Nasdaq has decreased 0.4%, the S&P 500 has slipped 0.2% and the Dow is trading down 0.2%, marking a bad morning for the market. 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 up 0.5% on a bad day for the market overall. The biggest movers in the sector are currently:

Company	Market Cap	Percentage Change
Companhia de Saneamento Basico (NYSE:SBS)	$9.76 billion	-3%
Huaneng Power International, Inc (NYSE:HNP)	$11.37 billion	+2.8%
Inergy (NYSE:NRGM)	$1.75 billion	-2.4%
Atlas (NYSE:ATLS)	$1.77 billion	-1.8%
Duke Energy (NYSE:DUK)	$43.18 billion	+1.7%
DCP Midstream (NYSE:DPM)	$2.55 billion	-1.6%
NRG (NYSE:NRG)	$4.61 billion	+1.5%

Broker Summary: Charles Schwab Online Brokerage

Companhia de Saneamento Basico (NYSE:SBS) is currently trading at a share price of $81.25, a 3% decline. At 112,298 shares, the company's volume so far today is consistent with the volume from yesterday.

Rising 2.8%, Huaneng Power International, Inc (NYSE:HNP) is currently trading at $33.95 per share. This morning, the company is trading a volume of 19,437 shares. This is 0.3 times the current three-month average.

Inergy (NYSE:NRGM) is down 2.4% to reach $22.63 per share. This morning, the company is trading a volume of 45,370 shares.

Falling 1.8%, Atlas (NYSE:ATLS) is currently at a share price of $33.58. At 126,431 shares, the company's volume so far today is 0.7 times the average daily volume.

Duke Energy (NYSE:DUK) has moved up 1.7% and is currently trading at $63.46 per share. The company's volume is currently 2.3 million shares.

DCP Midstream (NYSE:DPM) is trading at $41.97 per share, down 1.6%. The company's volume for the day so far is 70,798 shares, 0.4 times its current three-month average.

NRG (NYSE:NRG) has increased to a share price of $21.34, a 1.5% rise. The company is currently trading a volume of 1.9 million 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. However, these fundamental metrics must be analyzed with historic data, industry information in addition to firm specific financial statements.