defensive stock

Definition

A stock that tends to remain stable under difficult economic conditions. Defensive stocks include food, tobacco, oil, and utilities. These stocks hold up in hard times because demand does not decrease as dramatically as it may in other sectors. Defensive stocks tend to lag behind the rest of the market during economic expansion because demand does not increase as dramatically in an upswing.

Cite this definition


Related Terms

defensive investment strategy, cyclical stock

'defensive stock ' appears in the definitions of these terms on BusinessDictionary.com




Browse by Letter: # A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z
Add this Glossary to your Site | Bookmark InvestorWords.com
Home | Terms by Subject | Keyword Advertising | About Us | Contact Us
Work for InvestorWords.com
BusinessDictionary.com | InvestorGuide.com | WebFinanceInc.com
Disclaimer and Copyright©

Copyright©1997-2008 by WebFinance, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
Unauthorized duplication, in whole or in part, is strictly prohibited.