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When the VIX is rising, consumer confidence is falling, and the market is pricing in high risk, stocks that hold their value rarely dominate the financial media.
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These five quietly resilient companies are doing their jobs regardless of the headlines, and most investors aren’t paying attention.
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An analyst named NVIDIA just named his top 10 AI stocks in 2010. Get it for free here.
The CBOE Volatility Index (VIX) reached 31.77 as of March 9, 2026, up 83.0% from a month ago and sitting at 98 percent of readings over the past year. Meanwhile, the S&P 500 is down 1.5% year-to-date, and consumer sentiment registered 56.4 in January 2026, below the deficit threshold of 60. When fear rises, many investors flee to gold or treasuries. But five quietly resilient stocks have been working all along, and most investors aren’t paying attention.
The rankings below weigh dividend stability, earnings stability, balance sheet strength, and cash flow projections in a turbulent environment. Fatigue, by design.
Fluor (NYSE: FLR ) is carrying real baggage for the near term, but the recovery thesis is valid. The stock is up 23.24% year-to-date and 13.75% year-to-date, while last week’s decline of 13.82% reflects the market’s sudden Q4 digest. NuScale’s $2 billion writedown resulted in a net loss of $1.574 billion and full-year operating cash flow of $387 million. What keeps it on this list: $1.35 billion in Q1 2026 monetization of NuScale, a $1.4 billion share repurchase program, and adjusted 2026 EBITDA guidance of $525 million to $585 million. Fluor’s principally fee-for-service contract structure limits default on future projects, and its exposure to infrastructure and energy retrofits makes it a dream to recover capital expenditures.
READ: The analyst named NVIDIA in 2010 Just naming his top 10 AI stocks
Mutual Brokers Group (NASDAQ: IBKR ) is the opposite entry here. This is a broker, which does not scream “safe haven”. Yet this model really thrives in this environment. Volatility increases trading volume; Higher rates increase net interest income. In Q4 2025, commission income increased 22% and net interest income increased 20% year-over-year, with a pre-tax profit of 79%. Customer accounts grew 32% to $4.40 million and customer equity reached $779.9 billion. The stock is up 40.64% over the course of a year, though the 10.58% pullback over the past month represents a significant return from recent highs. Beta sits at 1.251, so it’s not low volatility, but its structural advantage in choppy markets puts it here.
Medtronic (NYSE: MDT ) is a classic defensive healthcare play. Although the stock is down 2.39% year-to-date and is down 5.37% year-to-date, it is the lowest performer on this list. But this is not the case. In its most recent quarter, revenue rose 8.74% year-over-year to $9.017 billion, with cardiovascular up 13.8% and diabetes up 14.8%. Beta is only 0.729. The dividends tell the true story: Medtronic has paid and grown its quarterly dividend without interruption for 25+ years, with a current quarterly payout of $0.71 per share. Analysts have a consensus target of $111.69 versus a current price of around $90.90. The combination of low beta, consistent dividend growth, and steady earnings make it a frequently mentioned name in defensive market discussions.
Fortis (NYSE: FTS ) is the quietest compounder on the list. The Canadian regulated utility operates in five Canadian provinces, 10 US states, and the Caribbean, with total assets of $75 billion. Its beta of 0.443 is the lowest in the market. Last week, when the S&P 500 fell nearly 2%, Fortis gained 0.49%. It is up 30.46% year-to-date and 10.94% year-to-date. The dividend record is exceptional, with more than 50 years of annual increases. The most recent quarterly dividend was $0.469 per share (ex-dividend on February 17, 2026), with a current dividend yield of 4.34%. In this anxious market, Fortis is holding its ground.
Amerin (NYSE: AEE ) is the top-rated safe haven here, and the price action supports it. While the broader market has lagged behind, Amrin is up 6.12% in the past month alone, 11.68% year-to-date, and 14.80% year-to-date. The Missouri and Illinois regulated utility posted operating cash flow of $3.353 billion in 2025 and guided for 2026 EPS of $5.25 to $5.45, with a long-term target of 6% to 8% EPS CAGR through 2030 supported by an investment plan of $318. The quarterly dividend increased from $0.55 in 2021 to $0.71 in 2025, without any disruption. Beta is only 0.531. An additional tailwind is the growing demand for network expansion from AI data centers, which gives Amerin a long-term growth story typically associated with technology companies.
When the VIX is rising, consumer confidence is falling, and the market is pricing in high risk, stocks that hold their value rarely dominate the financial media. The list includes regulated utilities, medical device startups, volatility leveraged brokerages, and infrastructure giants in recovery mode. Each has a different mechanism for weather obscuration, but all have one characteristic: they do their job regardless of the headings.
Wall Street is pouring billions into AI, but many investors are buying the wrong stocks. The analyst who first identified NVIDIA as a buyback in 2010 — before its 28,000% run — has identified just 10 new AI companies that he believes can deliver returns beyond that point. One dominates the $100 billion equipment market. Bill addresses the single biggest obstacle to maintaining AI data centers. The third segment is a net play in the optical network market that is quadrupling. Most investors haven’t heard of half of these names. Get a free list of all 10 stocks here.
