Polo Ralph Lauren Among Consumer Cyclical's Biggest Movers on December 26, 2012

It's been a bad day for the market after the morning's trading. The Nasdaq has slipped 1.1%; the S&P 500 has slipped 0.6%; and the Dow is trading down 0.3%. The consumer cyclical sector is a category of stocks that relies heavily on the business cycle and economic conditions. Consumer cyclicals include industries such as automotive, housing, entertainment and retail. The category can be further divided into durable and non-durable sections. Durable cyclicals include physical goods such as hardware or vehicles, while non-durables represent items like movies or hotel services. The performance of consumer cyclicals is highly related to the state of the economy. They represent goods and services that are not considered necessities, but luxurious purchases. During contractions or recessions, people have less disposable income to spend on consumer cyclicals. When the economy is expanding or booming, the sales of these goods rise as retail and leisure spending increase.

The Consumer Cyclical sector (XLY) is down 1.3%, underperforming the market overall. The current biggest movers in the sector are:

Company	Market Cap	Percentage Change
Michael Kors (NYSE:KORS)	$10.7 billion	-6.1%
Sturm, Ruger (NYSE:RGR)	$849.4 million	-4.4%
Steven (Nasdaq:SHOO)	$1.96 billion	-4%
Polo Ralph Lauren (NYSE:RL)	$13.82 billion	-3.6%
Fossil (Nasdaq:FOSL)	$5.55 billion	-3%
Oxford Industries (NYSE:OXM)	$759.9 million	-3%
PVH (NYSE:PVH)	$7.81 billion	-2.5%

Broker Summary: Fidelity Online Brokerage

Falling 6.1%, Michael Kors (NYSE:KORS) is currently at a share price of $50.28. So far today, 1.7 million shares have changed hands. This is consistent with the average over the past three months.

Currently trading at $42.39 per share, Sturm, Ruger (NYSE:RGR) has fallen 4.4%. So far today, the company's volume is 346,453 shares, 0.3 times the average daily volume.

After a decline of 4%, Steven (Nasdaq:SHOO) has hit a share price of $40.93. So far today, 66,610 shares have changed hands.

At $145.71, Polo Ralph Lauren (NYSE:RL) has slipped 3.6%. So far today, 352,190 shares have changed hands, above yesterday's volume of 251,956 shares.

Fossil (Nasdaq:FOSL) has decreased to $89.60 per share, a 3% fall. So far today, the company's volume is 213,550 shares. This is 0.4 times its average volume over the past three months.

Oxford Industries (NYSE:OXM) is currently trading at a share price of $44.47, a 3% decline. At 71,343 shares, the company's volume so far today is in line with the current daily average.

PVH (NYSE:PVH) is trading at $107.80 per share, down 2.5%. The company is currently trading a volume of 312,046 shares.

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.