Standard & Poor's research shows that consumer staples, utilities, and health-care stocks outperform the market 80%-90% of the time during recessions. As my Foolish colleagues Tim Hanson and Brian Richards point out, this outperformance owes to their reliability and healthy dividend policies.

With that in mind, I used our new CAPS screening tool to discover which defensive stocks our 165,000-member CAPS investment community loves most. Of course, screens are merely a first step in the stock-selection process. As Miguel de Cervantes -- whose overly idealistic Don Quixote flails impulsively after unachievable dreams -- reminds us, "Diligence is the mother of good fortune."

Source: Motley Fool

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