Joy Global Among Capital Goods' Biggest Movers on December 4, 2012

The Nasdaq has fallen 0.5%, the S&P 500 is down 0.3% and the Dow has been relatively flat so far today. 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) has risen 0.1% despite little change in the market overall. Currently, the biggest movers in the sector are:

Company	Market Cap	Percentage Change
Esterline (NYSE:ESL)	$1.86 billion	-4.7%
Foster (Nasdaq:FWLT)	$2.37 billion	+2.3%
Apogee Enterprises (Nasdaq:APOG)	$675.3 million	-2.1%
Elbit Systems Ltd (Nasdaq:ESLT)	$1.6 billion	+1.9%
Eagle Materials (NYSE:EXP)	$2.6 billion	+1.6%
Granite Construction (NYSE:GVA)	$1.18 billion	+1.5%
Joy Global (NYSE:JOY)	$5.95 billion	-1.5%

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Esterline (NYSE:ESL) is down 4.7% to reach $57.55 per share. The company's volume is currently 206,528 shares for the day, 1.4 times the current three-month average.

Foster (Nasdaq:FWLT) has risen 2.3% and is currently trading at $22.86 per share. So far today, the company's volume is 350,807 shares. At this rate, trading activity will likely be down from yesterday when 1.1 million shares changed hands.

Apogee Enterprises (Nasdaq:APOG) has fallen 2.1% and is currently trading at $23.30 per share. The company's volume is currently 45,397 shares for the day, 0.2 times the current daily average.

After rising 1.9%, Elbit Systems Ltd (Nasdaq:ESLT) is currently trading at a share price of $38.95. So far today, the company's volume is 4,154 shares.

Eagle Materials (NYSE:EXP) is at $54.02 per share after an increase of 1.6%. With 212,216 shares changing hands so far today, the company's volume is 0.3 times its average over the past three months.

After rising 1.5%, Granite Construction (NYSE:GVA) is currently trading at a share price of $31.04. The company is trading at a volume of 59,172 shares. At this rate, trading activity will likely be down from yesterday when 375,702 shares changed hands.

Joy Global (NYSE:JOY) is trading at $55.32 per share, down 1.5%. The company's volume is currently 762,918 shares for the day, in line with the current daily average.

The Bottom Line No matter the economic climate, Wall Street will always have stocks that make major moves each week. Daily stock performance should be weighed against historical performance and put in context of the market overall. Keep in mind that all these ratios should be compared against historical numbers and industry information in order to get a more complete picture.