Editor's Note: If you don't know Marc Chaikin, he's a living Wall Street legend that famous investors like Steve Cohen owe a huge debt of gratitude to for helping them build billion-dollar businesses. He's even been nicknamed "The Billionaire Maker." So, when he comes out with a new stock recommendation, I pay attention. The one below is so promising, I had to share it with you today. And if you click any of the links in Marc's e-mail below, you'll get the name and ticker of the company he's pounding the table on absolutely free.
Dear Reader,
In 2023, my system flashed bearish on an automotive company virtually no one had yet heard of.
Soon after, the stock crashed 35%.
But today, that stock's outlook has made a full 180-degree turnaround.
Check it out:
My system now rates this company "Very Bullish," with extremely high marks across the most critical factors in my stock analysis.
Because the very same company my system warned about in 2023 just formed a groundbreaking partnership with the king of AI, Nvidia.
See, Nvidia has built what is essentially the brains of the AI-powered cars of the future.
But getting that brain inside vehicles and operating safely is an enormously complex job.
That's precisely the job that went to this company. (Get the name and ticker FREE right here.)
That partnership basically hands this barely-known company the keys to the self-driving kingdom on a silver platter.
So, if you want to benefit from a company quickly becoming the center of the massive autonomous-vehicle trend, forget Tesla and get this stock's ticker before it becomes a household name...
Sincerely,
Marc Chaikin
Founder, Chaikin Analytics
P.S. Autonomous cars are the future, and too many people make the mistake of thinking Tesla stock is the best way to profit. Not even close! Watch right here where I compare Tesla side by side with the company I'm talking about above and you'll see why it’s time to dump Tesla and buy this stock instead.
How to Invest in the Biggest European Defense Surge in Decades
Written by Nathan Reiff. Date Posted: 6/19/2026.
Key Points
- European defense spending surged by 14% from 2024 to 2025 as NATO members bulk up military operations.
- Accessing European defense names can be difficult for U.S. investors, but several ETFs make the process more straightforward.
- EUAD is perhaps the most direct way to gain exposure to European defense stocks, but funds like SHLD and WAR also provide access as part of a broader geographic reach.
- Special Report: SpaceX is offering you shares. Don't take them.
According to the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute, military spending around the world is rising rapidly, reaching $2.9 trillion in 2025. Europe has led the way in this growth, with a 14% year-over-year (YOY) increase in military spending from 2024 to 2025. Not only are Russia and Ukraine continuing to pour more money into the ongoing war in that region, but a broader rearmament trend is also boosting NATO spending; European NATO member military spending rose at its fastest pace since 1953 last year.
For U.S. investors, the easiest access point to the global defense industry is through major domestic players with an international presence, like RTX (NYSE: RTX). However, these plays don't provide direct access to the European market, a segment that can be difficult for investors in other regions to explore. Fortunately, a growing number of defense exchange-traded funds (ETFs) can provide diversified exposure in a ready-made, easy-access portfolio. Beware, though, that not all of these defense ETFs focus exclusively on European names.
The Primary Pure-Play European Defense Fund, But Some Performance Issues Linger
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One investor paid $5,000 to be in a private room with Elon Musk in Los Angeles - and what he heard confirmed a conviction 15 years in the making.
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Get the free stock pick tied to Elon's most ambitious projectFor exclusively European aerospace and defense names, the best bet for many U.S. investors is likely the Select STOXX Europe Aerospace & Defense ETF (BATS: EUAD). Launched in late 2024, EUAD stands apart in the growing list of domestic ETFs for its regional focus on developed European nations. Despite its passive management, this unique exposure comes at a price: EUAD carries an expense ratio of 0.50%, which is fairly high for a passive fund.
EUAD is also not especially diversified, with just 23 holdings. The fund includes companies that derive a majority of their revenue from making, servicing, supplying, or distributing equipment for European military defense and aeronautics, or related industries.
Investors can expect significant allocations to major producers like Rolls-Royce Holdings (OTCMKTS: RYCEY), Safran (OTCMKTS: SAFRY), and Airbus Group (OTCMKTS: EADSY), each of which accounts for between 17% and 21% of the overall portfolio.
The companies EUAD focuses on are all well-established, which may make the fund a good long-term buy-and-hold investment for investors concerned that, after 61% growth since launch, EUAD's biggest rally may be behind it for now.
A Globally-Focused Fund With Greater Diversification
The Global X Defense Tech ETF (NYSEARCA: SHLD) is a much larger fund than EUAD—it has several times the managed assets and a significantly higher one-month average trading volume approaching 2 million.
Its expense ratio also matches EUAD's exactly at 0.50%. However, SHLD is not as direct a way to access the European market in particular. While SHLD offers exposure to key European defense players—companies like Rheinmetall (OTCMKTS: RNMBY) and BAE Systems (OTCMKTS: BAESY), among others—more than 62% of its portfolio is U.S. firms. Combined, British, German, French, and Italian companies make up only about 20% of the total basket, although a handful of additional European nations bring that exposure up slightly.
Still, the 50 or so holdings in SHLD's portfolio have fared very well since the fund launched in the fall of 2023 and are up about 8% in the last year.
A Top-Performing Fund With an Active Approach
For an actively managed approach, one of the few options available to investors with a global focus is the U.S. Global Technology and Aerospace & Defense ETF (NYSEARCA: WAR), a fund holding some 30 defense industry names from around the globe. Like SHLD, WAR does not specifically focus on European names; however, its largest holding is Swedish defense contractor MilDef Group AB, and it also carries shares of Rolls-Royce and other prominent European companies.
WAR's industry purview is a bit broader than the funds above, as this ETF also holds firms involved in cybersecurity, data centers, semiconductors, and more.
Because it is actively managed, it has a slightly higher annual fee of 0.60%, as well as a much smaller asset base and trading volume than even EUAD above.
For investors primarily focused on recent performance, however, WAR stands out above these peers. The fund has returned an impressive 42% year-to-date (YTD). By comparison, one of the largest defense ETFs available to investors—the iShares U.S. Aerospace & Defense ETF (BATS: ITA), with nearly $14 billion in assets under management and a focus on North American companies—has returned only 12% YTD. Investors willing to spend a bit more may be rewarded by WAR's strategy.
5 Places Investors Can Hide If the AI Trade Keeps Cracking
Authored by Ryan Hasson. Article Posted: 6/29/2026.
Key Points
- Investors are beginning to rotate away from the most crowded AI-related trades.
- Five areas stand out as potential shelters: biotech, industrials, utilities, consumer staples and dividend quality.
- The strongest setups combine defensive characteristics, relative strength and exposure to durable long-term demand.
- Special Report: SpaceX is offering you shares. Don't take them.
The AI trade has powered this market for the better part of two years, but the past couple of weeks have served as a reminder that no trend moves in a straight line. As volatility has returned to high-flying AI and technology names, a quiet rotation has been taking shape beneath the surface. Capital has begun flowing toward areas of the market that were largely ignored during the AI frenzy, and the relative strength emerging in certain corners deserves close attention.
If the AI sell-off deepens, history suggests that money does not simply leave the market altogether. It rotates. It moves toward sectors with defensive characteristics, durable earnings, reliable dividends, and businesses that do not live or die by the next GPU shipment.
I paid $5,000 to hear Elon say this (Ad)
One investor paid $5,000 to be in a private room with Elon Musk in Los Angeles - and what he heard confirmed a conviction 15 years in the making.
Musk is launching a project 27 years in the making that could be his biggest move yet. One analyst believes there is a single stock positioned to benefit most - and he is giving away the name for free.
Get the free stock pick tied to Elon's most ambitious projectFive areas in particular have been showing notable relative strength or defensive qualities of late, and within each, certain best-in-class names have been leading the way. For investors looking to play defense without leaving the market entirely, or to rotate some capital out of high-growth AI-related names into more defensive corners, these may be the places to watch.
Biotech: The Breakout Sector
The iShares Biotechnology ETF (NASDAQ: IBB) has quietly become one of the strongest stories in the market over the past week. The fund recently hit an all-time high and is up nearly 10% over the past 30 days, a period during which much of the AI complex struggled. After years of underperformance, biotech is finally breaking out, supported by a resilient funding environment, a reopening IPO window, and renewed M&A interest from big pharma. IBB is up close to 11% year to date and carries an aggregate Moderate Buy rating.
Technically, few sectors look as bullish as biotechnology. The sector ETF broke out above a multi-year resistance level last week and closed the week up almost 8%. That five-day surge was a clear sign of sector rotation and upward momentum, coming at a time when many leading AI-related growth names struggled.
The standout individual name in the space has been Eli Lilly (NYSE: LLY). The pharmaceutical giant surged more than 6% in a single session on June 26 and is now trading near all-time highs, up 12.2% year to date. Lilly's dominance in the GLP-1 weight-loss and diabetes market continues to drive enormous growth, with Medicare obesity drug coverage emerging as a fresh catalyst. With a TradeSmithGreen Zone health reading, a low beta of 0.53, and a consensus Moderate Buy rating, Lilly offers defensive growth at a time when growth is getting harder to find elsewhere.
Industrials: Strength at New Highs
The Industrial Select Sector SPDR Fund (NYSEARCA: XLI) recently hit a fresh 52-week high, a clear sign of relative strength as the AI names wobbled. Up nearly 17% year to date, the industrial sector has benefited from reshoring trends, defense spending, aerospace demand, and the physical buildout that even the AI theme ultimately depends on. With a beta near 1.0 and an aggregate Moderate Buy rating, XLI offers exposure to the real economy rather than the speculative end of it. And from a technical perspective, as long as the XLI ETF can sustain a move above the high $170s and ultimately $180, its relative strength and bullish positioning will remain intact.
GE Aerospace (NYSE: GE) has been a clear leader in the sector. The stock is up almost 20% year to date and is trading near its highs, supported by a massive $170 billion services backlog and surging demand for jet engines and aftermarket services. GE has transformed from what many once considered a broken industrial conglomerate into one of the most impressive turnaround stories on Wall Street.
Utilities: The Defensive Power Play
The Utilities Select Sector SPDR Fund (NYSEARCA: XLU) is the classic defensive sector, and it carries an added twist in 2026: the AI power demand story. With a beta of just 0.58 and a 2.58% dividend yield, utilities offer stability and income. At the same time, the surge in electricity demand from data centers has given the sector a growth angle it has historically lacked. XLU is up almost 8.2% year to date and is rated Moderate Buy in aggregate. The sector ETF also has a bullish look on the chart, with consecutive higher lows and higher highs forming over the past year, a classic bullish uptrend.
NextEra Energy (NYSE: NEE) is arguably the best-in-class name here. As the largest holding in XLU and a leader in both regulated utility operations and renewable generation, NextEra sits at the intersection of defensive income and AI-driven power demand. The stock scored in the 96th percentile of MarketBeat's MarketRank, ranking 6th out of 96 utilities, and is the only name in this piece with double-digit implied upside to its consensus price target of $99.86, roughly 13% above current levels. With a 2.82% yield, NextEra offers a rare blend of defense, income, and growth.
Consumer Staples: The Ultimate Safe Haven
When investors get nervous, consumer staples are where they often tend to hide. The Consumer Staples Select Sector SPDR Fund (NYSEARCA: XLP) holds companies that sell products people buy regardless of the economic backdrop: food, beverages, household goods, and personal care products. With a beta of just 0.47, the lowest of any sector ETF here, and a 2.59% yield, XLP is the definition of defensive. It is up close to 9% year to date and carries an aggregate Moderate Buy rating.
Coca-Cola (NYSE: KO) stands out as the leader in the sector. The beverage giant is up almost 18% year to date, one of the strongest performances among the names in this piece, and recently traded near all-time highs. With a beta of just 0.35, Dividend King status reflecting more than six decades of consecutive dividend increases, and a 92nd percentile MarketRank score, Coca-Cola is the textbook defensive holding. Its financial health has sat in the Green Zone for over two months, and its steady, recession-resistant business model is exactly what investors gravitate toward when speculative trades unwind.
Dividend Quality: A One-Stop Defensive Vehicle
Finally, the Schwab US Dividend Equity ETF (NYSEARCA: SCHD) deserves a place on this list as a diversified, all-in-one defensive vehicle. Unlike the sector-specific funds above, SCHD screens for high-quality, dividend-paying U.S. companies across the market and tracks the Dow Jones U.S. Dividend 100 Index. With a rock-bottom 0.06% expense ratio, a 3.24% dividend yield, the highest of any fund here, and a beta of 0.67, it offers broad exposure to exactly the kind of durable, cash-generative businesses that hold up best when the AI trade wobbles. SCHD is up close to 17% year to date and has an aggregate rating of Moderate Buy.
Because SCHD spreads its holdings across financials, healthcare, energy, staples, and industrials, it captures much of the defensive rotation theme in a single ticker. For investors who want to play defense without picking individual sectors or names, it is one of the cleanest options available.
A Compelling Place to Hide If the Sell-Off Continues
None of this is to say the AI trade is over. It remains one of the most powerful secular themes in market history. But after an extraordinary run, some rotation and consolidation would be entirely healthy, and the relative strength showing up in biotech, industrials, utilities, staples, and high-quality dividend payers suggests smart money is already positioning for that possibility.
For investors looking to stay invested while reducing exposure to the most stretched corners of the market, these five areas and the best-in-class names leading them offer a compelling place to hide if the AI sell-off has further to run.
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