Defensive Stocks Shine Amid Volatility

Markets are being pulled around by geopolitics, supply chain snags, and shifting central bank signals, which keeps volatility elevated and sentiment fragile. This backdrop can punish fragile businesses but also highlights solid defensive stocks that may offer entry points in calmer times.

One such stock is MTN Group (JSE:MTN), a large telecom operator providing mobile, data, and digital financial services across Africa and parts of the Middle East. The company generates about ZAR236.4 billion in revenue from wireless communications services, reflecting a highly recurring service model.

Another defensive stock is Coca-Cola Içecek Anonim Sirketi (IBSE:CCOLA), a major Coca-Cola bottler across Turkey, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Central Asia, and the Middle East. It generates all its TRY196.2 billion revenue from non-alcoholic beverages across soft drinks, juices, teas, water, energy drinks, and coffee.

Bharti Airtel (BSE:532454) is also a large telecom operator providing essential mobile, broadband, enterprise, and digital TV services across India and several international markets. The company offers a blend of defensive traits and growth angles that can be hard to find, including essential connectivity across India and Africa and a growing enterprise and cloud offering.