AngloGold Ashanti Limited Among Basic Materials' Biggest Movers on December 27, 2012

The market is having a bad day so far. The Nasdaq has slipped 0.7%; the S&P 500 has fallen 0.8%; and the Dow has declined 0.6%. The basic materials sector is the category of stocks that accounts for companies involved with the discovery, development and processing of raw materials. This sector includes the mining and refining of metals, chemical producers and forestry products. The basic materials sector is sensitive to changes in the business cycle. Because the sector supplies materials for construction, it depends on a strong economy. This sector is also sensitive to supply and demand fluctuations because the price of raw materials, such as gold or other metals, is largely demand driven.

The Basic Materials sector (XLB) is down 0.5%, outperforming the market overall. Currently, the biggest movers in the sector are:

Company	Market Cap	Percentage Change
Sinopec Shanghai Petrochemical Co (NYSE:SHI)	$2.3 billion	+6.8%
Chemtura (NYSE:CHMT)	$2 billion	+3.1%
Georgia (NYSE:GGC)	$1.44 billion	-2.6%
Silver Standard Resources Inc (Nasdaq:SSRI)	$1.16 billion	+2.5%
Westlake (NYSE:WLK)	$5.31 billion	-2.1%
Royal Gold (Nasdaq:RGLD)	$5.05 billion	+1.7%
AngloGold Ashanti Limited (NYSE:AU)	$11.71 billion	+1.7%

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Sinopec Shanghai Petrochemical Co (NYSE:SHI) has risen 6.8% and is currently trading at $34.19 per share. So far today, the company's volume is 8,626 shares, in keeping with its current three-month average.

Increasing 3.1%, Chemtura (NYSE:CHMT) is trading at $21.08 per share. This morning, the company is trading a volume of 474,331 shares.

Georgia (NYSE:GGC) is trading at $40.74 per share, down 2.6%. So far today, the company's volume is 883,503 shares, which is more trading activity than there was yesterday.

Silver Standard Resources Inc (Nasdaq:SSRI) has moved up 2.5% and is currently trading at $14.68 per share. The company's volume for the day so far is 237,009 shares. This is 0.3 times the current daily average.

Westlake (NYSE:WLK) has decreased to $78 per share, a 2.1% fall. At 82,450 shares, the company's volume so far today is 0.2 times its current three-month average.

After rising 1.7%, Royal Gold (Nasdaq:RGLD) is currently trading at a share price of $79.88. So far today, the company's volume is 162,186 shares.

Rising 1.7%, AngloGold Ashanti Limited (NYSE:AU) is currently trading at $30.92 per share. So far today, 465,504 shares have changed hands,.

The Bottom Line No matter the economic climate, Wall Street will always have stocks that make major moves each week. It is important to weigh current activity against historical performance when making any investment decisions. Keep in mind that all these ratios should be compared against historical numbers and industry information in order to get a more complete picture.