LyondellBasell and More Big Movers in Basic Materials on November 15, 2012

It's been a bad day for the market after the morning's trading. The Nasdaq has decreased 0.4%; the S&P 500 has declined 0.3%; and the Dow has fallen 0.3%. 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 currently ahead of the overall market, down only 0.1%, and its biggest movers are currently:

Company	Market Cap	Percentage Change
LyondellBasell (NYSE:LYB)	$28.3 billion	-7.6%
TPC Group (Nasdaq:TPCG)	$720.7 million	+4.1%
Royal Gold (Nasdaq:RGLD)	$5.49 billion	-3.7%
Rockwood Holdings (NYSE:ROC)	$3.41 billion	-3.1%
Ashland (NYSE:ASH)	$5.53 billion	-3%
Westlake (NYSE:WLK)	$4.9 billion	-2.9%
Quaker (NYSE:KWR)	$626.4 million	-2.6%

Broker Summary: OptionsXpress Online Trading Platform

LyondellBasell (NYSE:LYB) has fallen 7.6% and is currently trading at $45.48 per share. The company is currently trading a volume of 2.6 million shares.

TPC Group (Nasdaq:TPCG) has moved up 4.1% and is currently trading at $47.85 per share. At 178,146 shares, the company's volume so far today is.

Royal Gold (Nasdaq:RGLD) has decreased to $82.21 per share, a 3.7% fall. This morning, the company is trading a volume of 694,973 shares. This is 0.9 times the current three-month average.

Rockwood Holdings (NYSE:ROC) is trading at $42.49 per share, down 3.1%. At 1.8 million shares, the company's volume so far today is 2.1 times the average daily volume.

Ashland (NYSE:ASH) is currently trading at a share price of $68.28, a 3% decline. The company's volume for the day so far is 363,547 shares.

Slipping 2.9%, Westlake (NYSE:WLK) is currently trading at $71.27 per share. The company's volume is currently 197,714 shares for the day, lighter than yesterday's volume of 664,607 shares.

After a decline of 2.6%, Quaker (NYSE:KWR) has hit a share price of $46.64. The company's volume for the day so far is 22,896 shares. This is 0.4 times the average volume over the last three months.

The Bottom Line On any given day, a particular stock may see positive or negative change in its share price. 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.