Investment idea model basket

Defensive Income

Duration proxy for retirees reallocating from cash.

What is the thesis for Defensive Income?

Low-leverage utilities, staples, and select REITs with yields that re-rate as the front end falls. Built for investors rotating out of money-market funds.

This is a curated QuantLink model basket. It is not a filed portfolio, not a fund, and not investment advice.

Published Mar 30, 2026. Updated Apr 8, 2026. Source: QuantLink curated model basket and FastAPI ideas endpoint.

Holdings
5
Benchmark
AGG
Status
New
1Y model return
+0.3%

Performance as of Jul 11, 2026.

Thesis narrative

Built for the cash-rotation trade

$6T sits in money-market funds earning a rate that is about to fall. A meaningful slice rotates back into equity income. This book is positioned for that flow.

Why these five

Each name clears three filters:

  1. Dividend coverage > 1.4x on operating cash flow
  2. Net leverage < 4x (REITs) or < 2.5x (non-REIT)
  3. Beta < 0.7 vs SPY over trailing 3Y

What it isn't

This is not a high-yield grab. We exclude MLPs, BDCs, and anything with a yield trap footprint. Target blended yield is ~3.8% — enough to matter, not so much that it signals distress.

Model basket holdings

Model basket: curated equal or target weighting, not a filed portfolio. Weights are the target basket weights returned by the live ideas endpoint.

NameSymbolModel weight
Realty IncomeO22.00%
Southern CompanySO22.00%
Procter & GamblePG20.00%
Coca-ColaKO18.00%
American TowerAMT18.00%

Backtested performance vs AGG

Performance is backtested from the returned tearsheet series. It reflects the model basket methodology and benchmark series, not live fund returns or a filed portfolio track record. Performance as of Jul 11, 2026.

Total Return

+0.3%

↑ AGG +0.1%

Ann. Return

+0.3%

↑ AGG +0.1%

Ann. Vol

13.7%

↑ AGG 4.0%

Sharpe

0.02

↓ AGG 0.03

Max Drawdown

-10.6%

↓ AGG -3.7%

Alpha vs AGG

+1.0%

↓ hit rate 48.0%

Performance as of Jul 11, 2026.

Rolling Performance vs Benchmark

Portfolio Holdings

Holding
Weight
Country
Exchange
Sector
Industry
Mkt Cap
Price
1Y
1Y Trend
O
ORealty Income
22.0%
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
SO
SOSouthern Company
22.0%
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
PG
PGProcter & Gamble
20.0%
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
AMT
AMTAmerican Tower
18.0%
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
KO
KOCoca-Cola
18.0%
—
—
—
—
—
—
—

SSR performance series fallback

The table below is the server-rendered reference series behind the interactive chart. Values show the wealth index level from a 1.00 starting value, not a second 1Y return figure. Series as of Jul 11, 2026.

DateModel basket wealth indexAGG
Jul 14, 20251.0000x1.0000x
Jul 15, 20250.9878x0.9970x
Jul 16, 20250.9950x0.9985x
Jul 17, 20250.9990x0.9989x
Jul 18, 20251.0001x1.0007x
Jul 21, 20251.0033x1.0035x
Jul 22, 20251.0193x1.0054x
Jul 23, 20251.0147x1.0032x
Jul 24, 20251.0163x1.0025x
Jul 25, 20251.0151x1.0042x
Jul 28, 20250.9997x1.0029x
Jul 29, 20250.9989x1.0083x
Jul 30, 20250.9847x1.0054x
Jul 31, 20250.9756x1.0059x
Aug 1, 20250.9843x1.0112x
Aug 4, 20250.9911x1.0120x
Aug 5, 20250.9839x1.0123x
Aug 6, 20250.9868x1.0119x
Aug 7, 20250.9931x1.0111x
Aug 8, 20250.9898x1.0092x
Aug 11, 20250.9919x1.0099x
Aug 12, 20250.9902x1.0099x
Aug 13, 20250.9924x1.0136x
Aug 14, 20250.9857x1.0107x
Aug 15, 20250.9920x1.0092x
Aug 18, 20250.9840x1.0081x
Aug 19, 20251.0004x1.0100x
Aug 20, 20251.0108x1.0106x
Aug 21, 20251.0080x1.0083x
Aug 22, 20251.0057x1.0139x
Aug 25, 20250.9929x1.0123x
Aug 26, 20250.9886x1.0136x
Aug 27, 20250.9886x1.0146x
Aug 28, 20250.9811x1.0158x
Aug 29, 20250.9881x1.0145x
Sep 2, 20250.9823x1.0085x
Sep 3, 20250.9784x1.0121x
Sep 4, 20250.9784x1.0162x
Sep 5, 20250.9851x1.0210x
Sep 8, 20250.9754x1.0245x
Sep 9, 20250.9802x1.0224x
Sep 10, 20250.9774x1.0245x
Sep 11, 20250.9849x1.0264x
Sep 12, 20250.9823x1.0255x
Sep 15, 20250.9759x1.0272x
Sep 16, 20250.9765x1.0276x
Sep 17, 20250.9834x1.0258x
Sep 18, 20250.9718x1.0229x
Sep 19, 20250.9714x1.0229x
Sep 22, 20250.9679x1.0217x
Sep 23, 20250.9744x1.0234x
Sep 24, 20250.9756x1.0214x
Sep 25, 20250.9724x1.0200x
Sep 26, 20250.9763x1.0207x
Sep 29, 20250.9783x1.0226x
Sep 30, 20250.9800x1.0225x
Oct 1, 20250.9804x1.0218x
Oct 2, 20250.9718x1.0229x
Oct 3, 20250.9753x1.0218x
Oct 6, 20250.9675x1.0196x
Oct 7, 20250.9745x1.0213x
Oct 8, 20250.9664x1.0214x
Oct 9, 20250.9652x1.0202x
Oct 10, 20250.9705x1.0244x
Oct 13, 20250.9650x1.0263x
Oct 14, 20250.9760x1.0279x
Oct 15, 20250.9783x1.0275x
Oct 16, 20250.9805x1.0312x
Oct 17, 20250.9859x1.0298x
Oct 20, 20250.9905x1.0315x
Oct 21, 20250.9929x1.0325x
Oct 22, 20250.9935x1.0324x
Oct 23, 20250.9874x1.0306x
Oct 24, 20250.9868x1.0316x
Oct 27, 20250.9855x1.0323x
Oct 28, 20250.9710x1.0329x
Oct 29, 20250.9557x1.0280x
Oct 30, 20250.9606x1.0261x
Oct 31, 20250.9589x1.0255x
Nov 3, 20250.9502x1.0209x
Nov 4, 20250.9461x1.0214x
Nov 5, 20250.9400x1.0187x
Nov 6, 20250.9402x1.0224x
Nov 7, 20250.9480x1.0220x
Nov 10, 20250.9443x1.0216x
Nov 11, 20250.9595x1.0247x
Nov 12, 20250.9581x1.0243x
Nov 13, 20250.9520x1.0212x
Nov 14, 20250.9538x1.0200x
Nov 17, 20250.9478x1.0202x
Nov 18, 20250.9532x1.0208x
Nov 19, 20250.9458x1.0208x
Nov 20, 20250.9437x1.0220x
Nov 21, 20250.9547x1.0245x
Nov 24, 20250.9479x1.0265x
Nov 25, 20250.9513x1.0282x
Nov 26, 20250.9568x1.0298x
Nov 28, 20250.9611x1.0284x
Dec 1, 20250.9470x1.0206x
Dec 2, 20250.9419x1.0219x
Dec 3, 20250.9433x1.0239x
Dec 4, 20250.9422x1.0214x
Dec 5, 20250.9371x1.0203x
Dec 8, 20250.9293x1.0187x
Dec 9, 20250.9262x1.0177x
Dec 10, 20250.9227x1.0210x
Dec 11, 20250.9262x1.0212x
Dec 12, 20250.9325x1.0181x
Dec 15, 20250.9412x1.0191x
Dec 16, 20250.9358x1.0210x
Dec 17, 20250.9436x1.0207x
Dec 18, 20250.9328x1.0233x
Dec 19, 20250.9228x1.0184x
Dec 22, 20250.9233x1.0180x
Dec 23, 20250.9240x1.0180x
Dec 24, 20250.9310x1.0202x
Dec 26, 20250.9324x1.0204x
Dec 29, 20250.9336x1.0216x
Dec 30, 20250.9345x1.0212x
Dec 31, 20250.9288x1.0188x
Jan 2, 20260.9275x1.0185x
Jan 5, 20260.9254x1.0204x
Jan 6, 20260.9242x1.0202x
Jan 7, 20260.9118x1.0212x
Jan 8, 20260.9272x1.0194x
Jan 9, 20260.9277x1.0216x
Jan 12, 20260.9346x1.0211x
Jan 13, 20260.9429x1.0220x
Jan 14, 20260.9554x1.0236x
Jan 15, 20260.9571x1.0222x
Jan 16, 20260.9615x1.0205x
Jan 20, 20260.9630x1.0166x
Jan 21, 20260.9642x1.0200x
Jan 22, 20260.9606x1.0202x
Jan 23, 20260.9648x1.0211x
Jan 26, 20260.9642x1.0226x
Jan 27, 20260.9691x1.0219x
Jan 28, 20260.9600x1.0215x
Jan 30, 20260.9778x1.0213x
Feb 2, 20260.9704x1.0168x
Feb 3, 20260.9842x1.0169x
Feb 4, 20260.9946x1.0163x
Feb 5, 20260.9994x1.0207x
Feb 6, 20260.9982x1.0213x
Feb 9, 20260.9939x1.0216x
Feb 10, 20261.0044x1.0246x
Feb 11, 20261.0142x1.0222x
Feb 12, 20261.0296x1.0268x
Feb 13, 20261.0402x1.0301x
Feb 17, 20261.0384x1.0302x
Feb 18, 20261.0212x1.0288x
Feb 19, 20261.0316x1.0290x
Feb 20, 20261.0397x1.0292x
Feb 23, 20261.0538x1.0312x
Feb 24, 20261.0554x1.0311x
Feb 25, 20261.0431x1.0306x
Feb 26, 20261.0494x1.0322x
Feb 27, 20261.0672x1.0343x
Mar 2, 20261.0592x1.0269x
Mar 3, 20261.0478x1.0258x
Mar 4, 20261.0436x1.0254x
Mar 5, 20261.0270x1.0224x
Mar 6, 20261.0288x1.0212x
Mar 9, 20261.0301x1.0245x
Mar 10, 20261.0284x1.0211x
Mar 11, 20261.0204x1.0165x
Mar 12, 20261.0184x1.0127x
Mar 13, 20261.0209x1.0119x
Mar 16, 20261.0285x1.0159x
Mar 17, 20261.0227x1.0180x
Mar 18, 20261.0004x1.0137x
Mar 19, 20260.9968x1.0148x
Mar 20, 20260.9759x1.0063x
Mar 23, 20260.9765x1.0101x
Mar 24, 20260.9674x1.0073x
Mar 25, 20260.9667x1.0109x
Mar 26, 20260.9675x1.0052x
Mar 27, 20260.9725x1.0051x
Mar 30, 20260.9824x1.0102x
Mar 31, 20260.9830x1.0125x
Apr 1, 20260.9844x1.0098x
Apr 2, 20260.9897x1.0121x
Apr 6, 20260.9903x1.0103x
Apr 7, 20260.9843x1.0115x
Apr 8, 20260.9975x1.0142x
Apr 9, 20261.0081x1.0148x
Apr 10, 20261.0048x1.0131x
Apr 13, 20260.9975x1.0151x
Apr 14, 20260.9948x1.0177x
Apr 15, 20260.9899x1.0161x
Apr 16, 20260.9938x1.0147x
Apr 17, 20261.0048x1.0185x
Apr 20, 20260.9973x1.0184x
Apr 21, 20260.9788x1.0146x
Apr 22, 20260.9785x1.0160x
Apr 23, 20260.9964x1.0144x
Apr 24, 20260.9961x1.0158x
Apr 27, 20260.9895x1.0143x
Apr 28, 20261.0048x1.0139x
Apr 29, 20260.9991x1.0094x
Apr 30, 20261.0151x1.0108x
May 1, 20261.0123x1.0088x
May 4, 20261.0025x1.0056x
May 5, 20261.0027x1.0074x
May 6, 20261.0067x1.0117x
May 7, 20260.9917x1.0093x
May 8, 20260.9879x1.0116x
May 11, 20260.9899x1.0090x
May 12, 20260.9966x1.0060x
May 13, 20260.9855x1.0064x
May 14, 20260.9860x1.0061x
May 15, 20260.9797x0.9998x
May 18, 20260.9933x0.9997x
May 19, 20261.0015x0.9958x
May 20, 20261.0027x1.0018x
May 21, 20261.0044x1.0031x
May 22, 20261.0066x1.0041x
May 26, 20261.0039x1.0069x
May 27, 20261.0111x1.0078x
May 28, 20261.0031x1.0098x
May 29, 20260.9945x1.0104x
Jun 1, 20260.9763x1.0065x
Jun 2, 20260.9795x1.0068x
Jun 3, 20260.9759x1.0047x
Jun 4, 20260.9861x1.0063x
Jun 5, 20261.0068x1.0013x
Jun 8, 20260.9941x1.0013x
Jun 9, 20261.0132x1.0034x
Jun 10, 20261.0260x1.0028x
Jun 11, 20261.0171x1.0086x
Jun 12, 20261.0217x1.0073x
Jun 15, 20261.0151x1.0083x
Jun 16, 20261.0164x1.0095x
Jun 17, 20260.9998x1.0058x
Jun 18, 20260.9934x1.0088x
Jun 22, 20260.9926x1.0060x
Jun 23, 20261.0085x1.0068x
Jun 24, 20261.0094x1.0117x
Jun 25, 20260.9988x1.0123x
Jun 26, 20261.0184x1.0133x
Jun 29, 20261.0092x1.0136x
Jun 30, 20260.9919x1.0096x
Jul 1, 20260.9941x1.0047x
Jul 2, 20261.0194x1.0058x
Jul 6, 20261.0028x1.0063x
Jul 7, 20261.0192x1.0017x
Jul 8, 20261.0069x1.0000x
Jul 9, 20261.0001x1.0014x

Themes and category

Investment ideaDefensive IncomeQuality

Methodology and caveats

QuantLink fetches this idea from the live FastAPI ideas endpoints and renders the returned title, thesis, holdings, themes, benchmark, and tearsheet fields directly. Missing fields are left unavailable rather than fabricated.

Holdings are a curated model basket. They are not 13F filings, not insider filings, not adviser holdings, and not a claim that any person or fund owns the basket.

Backtested performance depends on the returned basket weights, benchmark, rebalancing assumptions, available price history, and calculation choices in the tearsheet endpoint. Backtests can differ materially from live results and do not include every cost, tax, capacity, liquidity, or execution constraint an investor may face.

Equal-weight and target-weight baskets can drift between rebalance points. Rebalancing can increase turnover, and concentrated thematic baskets can have higher drawdowns than a broad market benchmark.

Frequently asked questions

Research the stocks behind this idea

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Discovery

Public research

QuantLink is a research tool, not investment advice. This page shows a curated model basket and backtested performance, not a filed portfolio, fund return, or recommendation to buy or sell securities.