The No. 1 Materials Stock of the Year?

Westlake Chemical has exploded this year, up 91.58% since the beginning of January, leaving this stock as our No. 1 pick for the best materials stock of 2012. Among the company's products are ethylene and other plastics using ethylene. With the sheer volume of natural gas available in the U.S. from the shale drilling boom driving natural gas down to rock-bottom prices, the ethane Westlake uses as feedstock for production has never been cheaper. Because of this, the company is beating its non-U.S. competitors in margins hands down. In this video, Motley Fool materials analyst Taylor Muckerman tells us if he expects this trend to continue into 2013 and beyond.

Looking for more commodities-based ideas? Download The Motley Fool's special free report, "The Tiny Gold Stock Digging Up Massive Profits." Our analysts have uncovered a little-known gold miner they believe is poised for greatness; find out which company it is and why its future looks bright -- for free!

The article The No. 1 Materials Stock of the Year? originally appeared on Fool.com.

Joel South has no positions in the stocks mentioned above. Taylor Muckerman has no positions in the stocks mentioned above. The Motley Fool owns shares of ExxonMobil. Motley Fool newsletter services recommend Enterprise Products Partners L.P. Try any of our Foolish newsletter services free for 30 days. We Fools may not all hold the same opinions, but we all believe that considering a diverse range of insights makes us better investors. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.

Copyright © 1995 - 2012 The Motley Fool, LLC. All rights reserved. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.