Monsanto and Other Big Movers In Basic Materials on November 19, 2012

The morning has been good for the market. The Nasdaq has moved up 1.7%; the S&P 500 has climbed 1.5%; and the Dow has risen 1.3%. 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 up 2.1%, outperforming the market overall. The biggest movers in the sector so far are:

Company	Market Cap	Percentage Change
Agnico-Eagle Mines Limited (NYSE:AEM)	$8.96 billion	+5.5%
Eastman Chemical (NYSE:EMN)	$8.54 billion	+3.7%
Randgold Resources Ltd (Nasdaq:GOLD)	$9.35 billion	+3.7%
Albemarle (NYSE:ALB)	$4.85 billion	+3.5%
CF Industries (NYSE:CF)	$12.3 billion	+3%
Monsanto (NYSE:MON)	$45.56 billion	+2.7%
Westlake (NYSE:WLK)	$4.83 billion	+2.6%

Broker Summary: OptionsXpress Online Trading Platform

Agnico-Eagle Mines Limited (NYSE:AEM) is at $54.93 per share after an increase of 5.5%. The company is trading at a volume of 1.4 million shares.

Eastman Chemical (NYSE:EMN) has risen 3.7% to hit a current price of $57.76 per share. With 490,875 shares changing hands so far today, the company's volume is 0.4 times the average volume over the last three months.

Randgold Resources Ltd (Nasdaq:GOLD) has risen 3.7% and is currently trading at $105.51 per share. So far today, 263,405 shares have changed hands.

Albemarle (NYSE:ALB) is up 3.5% to reach a current price of $56.22 per share. The company's volume is currently 189,183 shares for the day, 0.3 times the current daily average.

CF Industries (NYSE:CF) has moved up 3% and is currently trading at $201.42 per share. The company's volume for the day so far is 401,855 shares. This is on pace to reach yesterday's trading volume of one million shares.

Monsanto (NYSE:MON) is currently trading at $87.49 per share, a 2.7% increase. The company's volume for the day so far is one million shares, in keeping with its current three-month average.

Westlake (NYSE:WLK) is at $74.27 per share after an increase of 2.6%. This morning, the company is trading a volume of 238,564 shares.

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