Get all your news in one place.
100's of premium titles.
One app.
Start reading
Kiplinger
Kiplinger
Business
Tony Dong, MSc, CETF

The Best Defensive ETFs to Protect Your Portfolio

An illustration of an open umbrella propped up over red dollar sign coins and a red dollar sign.

Various stock market indicators are flashing warning signs in 2026 amid continuing uncertainty about geopolitical tensions and President Donald Trump's tariffs, along with lingering questions about whether we're in an AI boom or an AI bubble.

One of the most well-known sentiment gauges, CNN's Fear & Greed Index, verged "Extreme Fear" in early March. It swung to "Fear" in mid-February amid rising anxiety about what artificial intelligence means for existing sectors and industries such as financials and software stocks and has remained there since.

Sign up to read this article
Read news from 100's of titles, curated specifically for you.
Already a member? Sign in here
Related Stories
Top stories on inkl right now
One subscription that gives you access to news from hundreds of sites
Already a member? Sign in here
Our Picks
Fourteen days free
Download the app
One app. One membership.
100+ trusted global sources.