Although we don't believe in timing the market or panicking over daily movements, we do like to keep an eye on market changes -- just in case they're material to our investing thesis.

The government shutdown may not have much of an effect on your life, depending on you who are and where you live. An uninformed observer would likely notice nothing out of the ordinary in scanning today's markets. The S&P 500 Index (^GSPC 1.20%) kicked off the new month with gains, adding 13 points, or 0.8%, to close at 1,695.

Gold and copper miner Newmont Mining (NEM 0.67%) was the benchmark index's most pronounced decliner, shedding 3.2%. Performances like today's aren't uncharacteristic for Newmont shares when the price of metals stumbles, as it did today. With gold down more than 3% and copper off 1.5%, the stock was destined to drop. Newmont also batted away rumors of a Peru acquisition, which was deplored as a hypothetically bad move by analysts. 

Oil refiner Tesoro (ANDV) lost 2% despite little company-specific news to justify the pullback. While momentum investors would note the stock's 34% haircut since its recent highs in May, we prefer to take a longer-term, value-based approach to stocks. And a value-based approach to Tesoro might show that a single-digit P/E ratio and a 2.2% dividend payout make for a tempting contrarian play in the energy sector. 

Lastly, Mondelez International (MDLZ 1.93%) celebrated its one-year anniversary as a new company in lousy fashion, falling 1.8% in trading. Mondelez, a spinoff of Kraft Foods, is a confectionery giant with more than 100,000 employees worldwide. Without a firm reason behind its decline today, Mondelez still boasts an impressive portfolio of brands -- from Oreos to Trident gum to Tang -- built to stand the test of time.