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What is Defensive stock?

Defensive stock: A stock that holds up in downturns.

Where Defensive stock fits

Defensive stock is part of Portfolio & Risk in Stock Market. A portfolio spreads money across asset classes. Diversification, rebalancing and dollar-cost averaging reduce risk, and higher possible return always comes with higher risk.

Practical tip

Match risk to your goal and your timeline.

Related terms

Portfolio
The collection of investments someone holds.
Index fund
A fund that copies a market index at low cost.
Volatility
How sharply a price swings up and down.
Short selling
Betting a price will fall by selling borrowed shares first.
Blue chip
Shares of large, well-established, reliable companies.
Diversification
Spreading money or products across several areas to reduce risk.
Asset allocation
How an investor splits money among stocks, bonds and cash.
Risk tolerance
How much loss an investor can accept without panicking.

Formulas you will use with it

Dividend yieldCompound growthSharpe ratioPortfolio return

Test yourself

Which term means: “A stock that holds up in downturns.”?

Blue chip · Short selling · Defensive stock

Answer: Defensive stock

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