Morningstar

Basic Materials

Companies that manufacture chemicals, building materials and paper products. This sector also includes companies engaged in commodities exploration and processing.

Featured

Albemarle Earnings: Shares Rally on Lithium Price Outlook

Seth Goldstein, CFA Aug 6, 2026

What 7 Key Market Indicators Are Telling Investors Right Now

Amy C. Arnott, CFA Aug 4, 2026

Basic Materials: Sector Rises but Underperforms, Leaving Opportunities in Chemicals and Agriculture

Seth Goldstein, CFA Jul 9, 2026

Gold Miners: We Update Our Near-Term Price Assumptions as Gold Enters a Bear Market

Jon Mills, CFA Jul 7, 2026

ETF Investors Trade Crypto and Gold for Semiconductors in June

Brian Paoli Jul 6, 2026

Latest Company Reports

Largest Stocks in the Basic Materials Sector

Screen With Investor

1-Day Chart	Name	Industry	Price	Morningstar Rating for Stocks	Capital Allocation	Economic Moat	Market Cap
	BHP Group Ltd ADR BHP	Other Industrial Metals & Mining			LOCK\|R^%V>>D	LOCK\|NX	$229B
	Linde PLC LIN	Specialty Chemicals			LOCK\|G#Sjsb%	LOCK\|%>d	$226B
	Rio Tinto PLC ADR RIO	Other Industrial Metals & Mining			LOCK\|>$W!@%	LOCK\|g>	$165B
	Southern Copper Corp SCCO	Copper			LOCK\|^n?p#&	LOCK\|!T	$164B
	Newmont Corp NEM	Gold			LOCK\|k$#wxY	LOCK\|@l	$124B
	Freeport-McMoRan Inc FCX	Copper			LOCK\|^W%Rr#H	LOCK\|@l	$99B
	Agnico Eagle Mines Ltd AEM	Gold			LOCK\|GrWFY>	LOCK\|G$	$92B
	Sherwin-Williams Co SHW	Specialty Chemicals			LOCK\|JQYbs#b	LOCK\|#&Q	$88B
	Ecolab Inc ECL	Specialty Chemicals			LOCK\|@J%WCn<	LOCK\|<#	$80B
	Air Products and Chemicals Inc APD	Specialty Chemicals			LOCK\|h&!^?fw	LOCK\|@$r	$69B

7 Charts on Q2 Markets Highlights: The Big AI Rally Gets Even Bigger

Some AI-driven indexes posted their best quarters on record as hardware names rocketed higher.

Tom Lauricella and Valerio Baselli Jul 1, 2026

DuPont: Updating Our Valuation Following Reverse Stock Split

We view DuPont’s current prices as a good entry point for long-term investors.

Seth Goldstein, CFA Jun 24, 2026

Weekly Market Update: Stocks Edge Higher as Basic Materials Rise and Communication Services Fall

Semiconductor stocks Intel, Sandisk, and Lam jumped, while Oracle and Adobe dropped sharply.

Irza Waraich Jun 12, 2026

How to Play SpaceX Without Buying the IPO

Linde is a pick-and-shovel play in the commercial space race, and we think the stock is undervalued.

Krzysztof Smalec, CFA Jun 10, 2026

With Commodity Prices Booming, Few Mining Stocks Look Cheap

Strong balance sheets support growth, but miner shares look very expensive overall.

Jon Mills, CFA May 29, 2026

The Market Is Missing the Bigger Picture on This Undervalued Stock

This wide-moat stock is a buy as investors confuse noise with signal.

Seth Goldstein, CFA May 28, 2026

How to Use Gold in Your Portfolio

Investing in gold has risks, but it can be a solid diversifier and a refuge in volatile or inflationary times.

Amy C. Arnott, CFA May 19, 2026

Albemarle Earnings: Shares Rally on Strong Profit Growth Well Above Consensus Estimates

Albemarle should see sequential profit growth in the second quarter and maintain higher profits through the year.

Seth Goldstein, CFA May 7, 2026

Weekly Market Update: Stocks Gain 0.9% as Energy Rises and Basic Materials Fall

Five9 and Bloom Energy were among the week’s best stocks, while Roblox and Wingstop posted big losses.

Jillian Moore May 1, 2026

Going Into Earnings, Is Albemarle Stock a Buy, a Sell, or Fairly Valued?

With potential volatility in its sector, here’s what we think of Albemarle stock.

Seth Goldstein, CFA Apr 29, 2026

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