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Consumer Staples Stocks

The consumer staples sector covers the everyday essentials people buy regardless of the economy: food and beverages, household and personal-care products, and the stores that sell them. Because demand is relatively steady, the sector is considered defensive and tends to hold up better than the broad market in downturns, though it also tends to grow more slowly in booms. Many staples companies pay reliable dividends. Catalysts include input-cost and inflation trends, pricing power, earnings, and shifts in consumer preferences. Steady does not mean risk-free, but the sector is typically less volatile than discretionary or technology.

Below are the most active Consumer Staples names by trading volume. Select any ticker for its chart, market data, and the community discussion.

Consumer Staples stocks ranked by trading volume.

Ranked by trading volume from the most recent end-of-day snapshot, not a real-time feed, and this is not a buy or sell signal. Browse all sectors or the other stock lists.