Barrick Gold Corporation and More Big Movers in Basic Materials on November 1, 2012

The Nasdaq is trading up 1.5%, the S&P 500 has increased 1.1% and the Dow has climbed 1.1% on a good day for the market so far. 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.

Outperforming the market overall, the Basic Materials sector (XLB) is up 1.6% and its biggest movers so far today are:

Company	Market Cap	Percentage Change
CIRCOR International (NYSE:CIR)	$600.3 million	+14.6%
RTI International Metals (NYSE:RTI)	$690.9 million	+9.5%
Barrick Gold Corporation (NYSE:ABX)	$40.53 billion	-9%
Kaman (NYSE:KAMN)	$983 million	-8%
Reliance Steel (NYSE:RS)	$4.09 billion	+6.1%
Cameco Corporation (NYSE:CCJ)	$7.65 billion	-6%
American (NYSE:AVD)	$997.7 million	-3.7%

Broker Summary: Fidelity Online Brokerage

After a big jump of 14.6%, CIRCOR International (NYSE:CIR) is trading at $39.51 per share. At 72,210 shares, the company's volume so far today is 0.9 times its average over the past three months.

After an increase of 9.5%, RTI International Metals (NYSE:RTI) has reached a current price of $24.96. The company's volume for the day so far is 250,187 shares.

At $36.87, Barrick Gold Corporation (NYSE:ABX) has slipped 9%. So far today, the company's volume is 13.7 million shares, 1.9 times the current daily average.

After a decline of 8%, Kaman (NYSE:KAMN) has hit a share price of $34.22. So far today, 82,728 shares of the company's stock have changed hands.

Rising 6.1%, Reliance Steel (NYSE:RS) is currently trading at $57.64 per share. So far today, the company's volume is 2.3 million shares, 3.8 times the average volume over the last three months.

Cameco Corporation (NYSE:CCJ) is down 6% to reach $18.18 per share. This morning, the company is trading a volume of 2.5 million shares.

American (NYSE:AVD) is currently trading at a share price of $34.41, a 3.7% decline. So far today, the company's volume is 108,979 shares, 0.8 times the average daily volume.

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.