Consumer staples sector
The consumer staples sector is made up of companies that sell everyday necessities people keep buying no matter what the economy is doing: food and beverages, household products, toiletries, and the supermarkets and discount stores that sell them. It's the counterpart to , which covers purchases people can choose to delay.
Steady demand is the defining feature. People don't stop buying toothpaste or groceries , so and profits in this tend to hold up far better than in more parts of the market. That stability is why consumer staples is often treated as a defensive , one investors lean toward when they expect the economy to weaken.
The tradeoff is slower growth and, for many products, intense price competition, especially from cheaper store brands. The strongest companies in the usually defend their margins through well known brands that customers will pay a little more for, and through the scale to produce and distribute cheaply.