The Stocks That Held up as the Market Slid #investing #stocks #barrons #shorts

The S& P 500 just logged its worst quarter in nearly four years. The benchmark index fell almost 5% in the first 3 months in 2026, but here at the Baron's Investor Circle, we've been tracking some names that are still holding up okay even in today's chaotic market environment. Bristol Group, Sterling Infrastructure, BJ's Wholesale, Precision Drilling, and Millicom International all gained in the final full week of March. Over that same time period, all three of the major indexes sunk lower to close out their fifth straight week of losses. In times when stocks are falling, it's prudent to pay attention to what's holding up better than the rest. Energy, of course, has been a leader this year as an oil shock drove XLE to its best start in a year on record. But among the other names I just listed, there's some other themes that are still working in this market. Many flash a defensive tilt. A company like BJ's is likely to still see consumers buying everyday goods even if the economy slows or if inflation impacts consumer wallets. We all need to fill up the bag lunches and buy some burgers in bulk for the grill. The same could be said for a company like Sterling Infrastructure. It's a picks and shovels play in the AI buildout. They're building out AI data centers. — That's a secular demand story. That hasn't changed, munch, even with all the geopolitical headlines you've been taking in over the past month. And that's really the key takeaway here. When the wall of worry builds, think about what might be least exposed to it. If an oil shock and massive swing in interest rates doesn't change your investment thesis on a given stock or sector, then that's a start to trying to figure out how to diversify your portfolio.