Wall Street Week Ahead: Defensives, energy, dividend plays gain favour

The S&P 500 is down 9% since mid-August, partially reversing a summer rebound after Federal Reserve Chair warned the central bank's single-minded fight against inflation could lead to economic pain

Fresh volatility in US stocks is pushing some investors to hunker down in areas of the market that have been relatively strong during a brutal year for equities, including energy shares, defensive names and dividend-payers.
 

The S&P 500 is down 9 per cent since mid-August, partially reversing a summer rebound after Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell warned the central bank's single-minded fight against inflation could lead to economic pain.

While few sectors of the market have been spared during the index's nearly 18 per cent selloff this year, some have fared comparatively better, a dynamic investors hope will blunt further losses in their portfolios