Capital Goods Stocks, Including Raytheon, Making Big Moves on December 26, 2012

The market is having a bad day so far: the Nasdaq is down 1.1%; the S&P 500 has fallen 0.6%; and the Dow has decreased 0.3%. The capital goods sector is the category of stocks related to the manufacture or distribution of goods. The sector is diverse, containing companies that manufacture machinery used to create capital goods, electrical equipment, aerospace and defense, engineering and construction projects. It is also referred to as the "industrials sector". Performance in the capital goods sector is sensitive to fluctuations in the business cycle. Because it relies heavily on manufacturing, the sector does well when the economy is booming or expanding. As economic conditions worsen, the demand for capital goods drops off, usually lowering the prices of stocks in the sector.

The Capital Goods sector (XLI) is down 0.4%, outperforming the market overall. Currently, the biggest movers in the sector are:

Company	Market Cap	Percentage Change
Elbit Systems Ltd (Nasdaq:ESLT)	$1.66 billion	-2.1%
Alliant Techsystems (NYSE:ATK)	$2.07 billion	-1.9%
Toro (NYSE:TTC)	$2.48 billion	-1.8%
Kubota Corporation (NYSE:KUB)	$14.44 billion	+1.6%
Triumph Group (NYSE:TGI)	$3.28 billion	-1.5%
Embraer SA (NYSE:ERJ)	$5 billion	+1.4%
Raytheon (NYSE:RTN)	$19.37 billion	-1.3%

Forex Broker Summary: UFXMarkets

Currently trading at $38.85 per share, Elbit Systems Ltd (Nasdaq:ESLT) has fallen 2.1%. The company's volume for the day so far is 3,800 shares.

Slipping 1.9%, Alliant Techsystems (NYSE:ATK) is currently trading at $62.29 per share. The company's volume is currently 30,896 shares for the day, on pace to reach yesterday's volume of 54,914 shares.

After a decline of 1.8%, Toro (NYSE:TTC) has hit a share price of $41.82. This morning, the company's volume is 66,217 shares. This is 0.2 times the current daily average.

Kubota Corporation (NYSE:KUB) is up 1.6% to reach a current price of $58.39 per share. With 9,248 shares changing hands so far today, the company's volume is 0.2 times its current three-month average.

Triumph Group (NYSE:TGI) is trading at $64.63 per share, down 1.5%. The company is currently trading a volume of 96,531 shares.

After rising 1.4%, Embraer SA (NYSE:ERJ) is currently trading at a share price of $28.02. At 158,004 shares, the company's volume so far today is.

Raytheon (NYSE:RTN) is down 1.3% to reach $57.96 per share. The company's volume for the morning is 427,202 shares. This is 0.3 times its current daily average.

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. Tools like valuation ratios and profit margins, however, are only as useful as the context you put them in; remember to take historical data and competitor performance into account.