Investors focused on the Basic Materials space have likely heard of Glencore (GLNCY), but is the stock performing well in comparison to the rest of its sector peers? A quick glance at the company's year-to-date performance in comparison to the rest of the Basic Materials sector should help us answer this question.Glencore is one of 251 individual stocks in the Basic Materials sector. Collectively, these companies sit at #3 in the Zacks Sector Rank. The Zacks Sector Rank includes 16 different groups and is listed in order from best to worst in terms of the average Zacks Rank of the individual companies within each of these sectors.The Zacks Rank is a successful stock-picking model that emphasizes earnings estimates and estimate revisions. The system highlights a number of different stocks that could be poised to outperform the broader market over the next one to three months. GLNCY is currently sporting a Zacks Rank of #1 (Strong Buy).Within the past quarter, the Zacks Consensus Estimate for GLNCY's full-year earnings has moved 49.69% higher. This shows that analyst sentiment has improved and the company's earnings outlook is stronger.According to our latest data, GLNCY has moved about 40.08% on a year-to-date basis. Meanwhile, the Basic Materials sector has returned an average of 18.90% on a year-to-date basis. This means that Glencore is performing better than its sector in terms of year-to-date returns.Looking more specifically, GLNCY belongs to the Mining - Miscellaneous industry, which includes 47 individual stocks and currently sits at #173 in the Zacks Industry Rank. On average, this group has gained an average of 33.73% so far this year, meaning that GLNCY is performing better in terms of year-to-date returns.Investors with an interest in Basic Materials stocks should continue to track GLNCY. The stock will be looking to continue its solid performance. Bitcoin, Like the Internet Itself, Could Change Everything Blockchain and cryptocurrency has sparked one of the most exciting discussion topics of a generation. Some call it the “Internet of Money” and predict it could change the way money works forever. If true, it could do to banks what Netflix did to Blockbuster and Amazon did to Sears. Experts agree we’re still in the early stages of this technology, and as it grows, it will create several investing opportunities. Zacks’ has just revealed 3 companies that can help investors capitalize on the explosive profit potential of Bitcoin and the other cryptocurrencies with significantly less volatility than buying them directly. See 3 crypto-related stocks now >>Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report Glencore PLC (GLNCY): Free Stock Analysis Report To read this article on Zacks.com click here.