Everyday-essentials shares, explained

Consumer-staples companies make the things people keep buying no matter what - food, drinks, cleaning products, toiletries. Because demand barely dips in a downturn, their revenue tends to be steadier than most, which is why they're called 'defensive'.

The trade-off is that steady rarely means fast-growing, and they still face supermarket own-brands and rising costs. Steadiness is a characteristic to understand, not a verdict. Each name below links to its full plain-English explainer.