Rockwell and More Big Movers in Capital Goods on December 3, 2012

So far today, the Nasdaq has climbed 0.2%, the S&P 500 has slipped 0.1% and the Dow has fallen 0.2%. The capital goods sector is the category of stocks related to the manufacture or distribution of goods. The sector is diverse, containing companies that manufacture machinery used to create capital goods, electrical equipment, aerospace and defense, engineering and construction projects. It is also referred to as the "industrials sector". Performance in the capital goods sector is sensitive to fluctuations in the business cycle. Because it relies heavily on manufacturing, the sector does well when the economy is booming or expanding. As economic conditions worsen, the demand for capital goods drops off, usually lowering the prices of stocks in the sector.

The Capital Goods sector (XLI) has risen 0.5% so far today and here are its biggest movers:

Company	Market Cap	Percentage Change
Chart Industries (Nasdaq:GTLS)	$1.82 billion	-3.8%
Apogee Enterprises (Nasdaq:APOG)	$650.6 million	+3.1%
MI Developments Inc (NYSE:GRP)	$1.74 billion	-3%
Beacon Roofing Supply (Nasdaq:BECN)	$1.47 billion	+2.3%
Rockwell (NYSE:COL)	$8.02 billion	-2%
Thor Industries (NYSE:THO)	$2 billion	-2%
Lindsay (NYSE:LNN)	$1.01 billion	-1.6%

Broker Summary: Fidelity Online Brokerage

Falling 3.8%, Chart Industries (Nasdaq:GTLS) is currently at a share price of $58.18. So far today, 196,662 shares have changed hands.

After rising 3.1%, Apogee Enterprises (Nasdaq:APOG) is currently trading at a share price of $23.63. The company's volume is currently 49,840 shares for the day, 0.3 times the average daily volume.

MI Developments Inc (NYSE:GRP) is trading at $35.97 per share, down 3%. The company's volume is currently 56,141 shares. At this rate, trading activity will likely be down from yesterday when 165,785 shares changed hands.

Rising 2.3%, Beacon Roofing Supply (Nasdaq:BECN) is currently trading at $31.56 per share. So far today, the company's volume is 222,187 shares, 0.3 times its average over the past three months.

At $56.03, Rockwell (NYSE:COL) has slipped 2%. So far today, the company's volume is 608,658 shares.

After a decline of 2%, Thor Industries (NYSE:THO) has hit a share price of $36.99. At 341,297 shares, the company's volume so far today is 0.3 times the current daily average.

Slipping 1.6%, Lindsay (NYSE:LNN) is currently trading at $77.80 per share. So far today, 49,678 shares of the company's stock have changed hands.

The Bottom Line The nature of the market is such that stocks will have good days and bad days. Paying close attention to the previous ratios will help you identify key times to adjust your strategy. Keep in mind that all these ratios should be compared against historical numbers and industry information in order to get a more complete picture.