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With U.S. budget deficits and already elevated debt, the ongoing Middle East war could worsen the fiscal outlook, making defensive ETF strategies worth considering for stability.

Middle East tensions and Strait of Hormuz disruptions lift volatility and oil risks, pushing investors toward hedges like volatility, gold and consumer staples ETFs.

As AI fatigue rattles markets with sell-offs hitting trucking, logistics and real estate services, rotating into defensive ETFs becomes attractive.

Looking for broad exposure to the Consumer Staples - Broad segment of the equity market? You should consider the iShares U.S. Consumer Staples ETF (IYK), a passively managed exchange traded fund launched on June 12, 2000.

IYK charges a higher expense ratio but offers a slightly higher dividend yield than VDC. VDC holds nearly double the number of stocks and has greater assets under management.