PPG Among Basic Materials' Biggest Movers on December 10, 2012

The Nasdaq has moved up 0.6%, the S&P 500 is up 0.2% and the Dow has risen 0.3% on a good day for the market so far. 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.

Underperforming the market overall, the Basic Materials sector (XLB) is up 0.3%, and these are its current biggest movers:

Company	Market Cap	Percentage Change
Molycorp (NYSE:MCP)	$1.23 billion	+14.9%
Cliffs Natural Resources (NYSE:CLF)	$4.21 billion	+3.3%
Silver Wheaton Corp (NYSE:SLW)	$12.66 billion	+2.1%
PPG (NYSE:PPG)	$18.61 billion	+1.8%
Quaker (NYSE:KWR)	$648.3 million	+1.8%
Carlisle Companies (NYSE:CSL)	$3.57 billion	+1.7%
Fibria Celulose S.A (NYSE:FBR)	$6.33 billion	-1.5%

Forex Broker Summary: Forex Capital Markets (FXCM)

Molycorp (NYSE:MCP) rose a significant 14.9% to reach $10.25 per share. So far today, the company's volume is 9.6 million shares. This is 1.8 times the current three-month average.

Cliffs Natural Resources (NYSE:CLF) has moved up 3.3% and is currently trading at $30.49 per share. The company's volume is currently 3.2 million shares for the day, in keeping with its current daily average.

Silver Wheaton Corp (NYSE:SLW) is up 2.1% to reach a current price of $36.49 per share. This morning, the company is trading a volume of 1.3 million shares.

PPG (NYSE:PPG) has risen 1.8% to hit a current price of $123.61 per share. So far today, the company's volume is 448,660 shares, while it was 1.6 million shares yesterday.

After an increase of 1.8%, Quaker (NYSE:KWR) has reached a current price of $50.44. The company is currently trading a volume of 5,703 shares. This is 0.1 times its current three-month average.

After rising 1.7%, Carlisle Companies (NYSE:CSL) is currently trading at a share price of $57.76. The company's volume is currently 121,097 shares for the day, in keeping with its current daily average.

Currently trading at $11.24 per share, Fibria Celulose S.A (NYSE:FBR) has fallen 1.5%. So far today, the company's volume is 611,908 shares.

The Bottom Line No matter the economic climate, Wall Street will always have stocks that make major moves each week. Paying close attention to the previous ratios will help you identify key times to adjust your strategy. However, these fundamental metrics must be analyzed with historic data, industry information in addition to firm specific financial statements.