Rio Tinto plc and Other Big Movers In Basic Materials on October 15, 2012

The market has been doing well after the morning's trading. The Nasdaq has climbed 0.3%; the S&P 500 has moved up 0.3%; and the Dow is up 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.

Underperforming the market overall, the Basic Materials sector (XLB) is up 0.2%, and these are its current biggest movers:

Company	Market Cap	Percentage Change
Weyerhaeuser (NYSE:WY)	$14.12 billion	+4.1%
Schweitzer-Mauduit International (NYSE:SWM)	$1.01 billion	+2.3%
Greif (NYSE:GEF.B)	$1.09 billion	-2.2%
Coeur d\'Alene (NYSE:CDE)	$2.6 billion	-2.1%
Royal Gold (Nasdaq:RGLD)	$5.23 billion	-1.9%
AngloGold Ashanti Limited (NYSE:AU)	$13.21 billion	-1.7%
Rio Tinto plc (NYSE:RIO)	$90.23 billion	-1.6%

Broker Summary: E-Trade Financial

Weyerhaeuser (NYSE:WY) is at $27.32 per share after an increase of 4.1%. So far today, 2.1 million shares have changed hands.

Schweitzer-Mauduit International (NYSE:SWM) is currently trading at $33.17 per share, a 2.3% increase. The company's volume is currently 33,607 shares for the day, 0.2 times the current daily average.

Greif (NYSE:GEF.B) has decreased to $48.06 per share, a 2.2% fall. The company is trading at a volume of 1,300 shares. This is on pace to fall short of yesterday's volume of 39,340 shares.

Slipping 2.1%, Coeur d'Alene (NYSE:CDE) is currently trading at $28.30 per share. The company's volume is currently 636,641 shares for the day, 0.3 times the average volume over the last three months.

Currently trading at $86.95 per share, Royal Gold (Nasdaq:RGLD) has fallen 1.9%. So far today, the company's volume is 952,995 shares.

Falling 1.7%, AngloGold Ashanti Limited (NYSE:AU) is currently at a share price of $33.71. At 570,927 shares, the company's volume so far today is 0.3 times the average daily volume.

At $47.89, Rio Tinto plc (NYSE:RIO) has slipped 1.6%. The company's volume for the day so far is 1.4 million shares.

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. However, these fundamental metrics must be analyzed with historic data, industry information in addition to firm specific financial statements.