VMware Among Technology's Biggest Movers on October 9, 2012

The market is having a bad day so far: the Nasdaq has slipped 1.7%; the S&P 500 has fallen 0.8%; and the Dow has declined 0.7%. The technology sector is a category of stocks relating to the research, development and/or distribution of technologically based goods and services. This sector contains businesses revolving around the manufacturing of electronics, creation of software, computers or products and services relating to information technology. The technology sector offers a wide arrange of products and services for both customers and other businesses. Consumer goods like personal computers, stereos and televisions are continually improved and upgraded, offering the latest technology to all users. Businesses receive information and services from software and database systems, which allow the companies to make strategic business decisions.

The Technology sector (XLK) is down 1.4%, outperforming the market overall. Currently, the biggest movers in the sector are:

Company	Market Cap	Percentage Change
Spectrum Brands Holdings (NYSE:SPB)	$2.12 billion	+12.2%
Baidu (Nasdaq:BIDU)	$39.93 billion	-6.5%
VMware (NYSE:VMW)	$41.12 billion	-4.5%
Allot (Nasdaq:ALLT)	$797.7 million	+4.1%
GrafTech (NYSE:GTI)	$1.3 billion	+3.9%
Linkedin (NYSE:LNKD)	$12.47 billion	-3.6%
MicroStrategy (Nasdaq:MSTR)	$1.34 billion	-2.8%

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After a big jump of 12.2%, Spectrum Brands Holdings (NYSE:SPB) is trading at $46.20 per share. The company's volume is currently 1.1 million shares for the day, 6.6 times the average daily volume. Volume indicates the level of interest that investors have in a company at its current price.

Baidu (Nasdaq:BIDU) has decreased to $106.90 per share, a 6.5% fall. The company's volume for the day so far is 5.6 million shares. This is greater than yesterday's volume of two million shares. High volume indicates a lot of investor interest while low volume indicates the opposite.

At $92.08, VMware (NYSE:VMW) has slipped 4.5%. The company's volume is currently 1.9 million shares for the day, 1.1 times the current three-month average. If a stock price makes a big move up or down, volume lets us know the significance of that move.

Allot (Nasdaq:ALLT) has moved up 4.1% and is currently trading at $25.84 per share. The company is currently trading a volume of 338,397 shares. Volume is used to evaluate how meaningful the price movement of a stock is.

After an increase of 3.9%, GrafTech (NYSE:GTI) has reached a current price of $10.05. The company's volume is currently 1.4 million shares for the day, 0.9 times the average daily volume. Price change alone is not enough to know how a stock is doing. Volume is an important secondary indicator used to confirm trends suggested by price movement.

Linkedin (NYSE:LNKD) has fallen 3.6% and is currently trading at $113.77 per share. So far today, the company's volume is 1.2 million shares. In technical analysis, trading volume is used to determine the strength of a market indicator.

MicroStrategy (Nasdaq:MSTR) is currently trading at a share price of $119, a 2.8% decline. So far today, the company's volume is 75,547 shares, in keeping with its current three-month average. Volume is used to evaluate how meaningful the price movement of a stock is.

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. Keep in mind that all these ratios should be compared against historical numbers and industry information in order to get a more complete picture.