After a powerful rally, the stock market is now confronting a wall of worry as uncertainty grows amid Fed policy ambiguity, slowing economic growth, sticky inflation, and the ripple effects of President Donald Trump’s aggressive trade war policies.
In this environment, investors are seeking refuge in stocks that offer stability and potential upside. Two such companies are AT&T (NYSE:T) and Newmont Goldcorp (NYSE:NEM), which offer compelling attributes to weather the current market headwinds.
Here’s why these stocks stand strong and what makes them compelling buys in the present-day landscape.
1. AT&T: The Reliable Dividend Fortress
* Year-To-Date Performance: +29.3%
* Market Cap: $210.6 Billion
Market volatility has prompted a rotation toward defensive-oriented value stocks, and AT&T’s fundamentals make it well-suited to weather the current environment. T stock just achieved a new 52-week high, signalling continued momentum.
Source: Investing.com
The company has demonstrated resilience in its recent earnings, beating Wall Street expectations in Q2 2025 thanks to strong growth in its core wireless and fiber-optic broadband businesses. AT&T is benefitting from the ongoing shift to a service-oriented economy, which is less vulnerable to trade war disruptions than manufacturing-heavy sectors.
The telecommunications giant posts an InvestingPro Financial Health score of 2.82 — classified as “GOOD”. The majority of analysts rate AT&T as a “Strong Buy” or “Buy,” with price targets clustered around $30-34.
Source: InvestingPro
Notably, AT&T boasts a 3.95% dividend yield and has maintained its annual payout for 42 consecutive years. The company’s focus on reducing debt and improving free cash flow further supports the sustainability of its dividend, making it a haven for income-focused investors.
2. Newmont Goldcorp: Safety with a Growth Kicker
* Year-To-Date Performance: +88.3%
* Market Cap: $77 Billion
Newmont Goldcorp, the world’s largest gold mining company, is a compelling pick as investors flock to safe-haven assets amid economic and market uncertainty. NEM shares have surged 88% year-to-date, recently touching a 52-week high of $70.76.
Source: Investing.com
Gold miners reported their best quarterly results ever in 2025, driven by high gold prices and strong demand. Newmont’s earnings per share (EPS) of $5.52 (trailing twelve months) reflect its robust financial health.
Newmont stands out with a Financial Health score of 3.60 — rated “GREAT” — and a Fair Value Upside of 14.7% alongside a hefty analyst target upside. That’s a rare one-two punch of both the quantitative model and Wall Street agreeing on further potential.
Source: InvestingPro
InvestingPro also highlights that the mining giant boasts a perfect Piotroski Score of 9, signaling exceptional fundamentals. Additionally, Newmont has paid out an annual dividend for 55 years in a row and currently sports a yield of 3.55%.
Bottom Line
Both AT&T and Newmont Goldcorp offer defensive qualities that align with the current market backdrop. AT&T’s stable cash flows, low valuation, and high dividend yield make it a reliable choice for investors navigating Fed policy uncertainty and slowing growth. Newmont Goldcorp, on the other hand, capitalizes on gold’s safe-haven status, thriving in an environment of sticky inflation and trade war chaos.
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Disclosure: At the time of writing, I am long on the S&P 500, and the Nasdaq 100 via the SPDR® S&P 500 ETF (SPY), and the Invesco QQQ Trust ETF (QQQ). I am also long on the Invesco Top QQQ ETF (QBIG), Invesco S&P 500 Equal Weight ETF (RSP), and VanEck Vectors Semiconductor ETF (SMH).
I regularly rebalance my portfolio of individual stocks and ETFs based on ongoing risk assessment of both the macroeconomic environment and companies’ financials.
The views discussed in this article are solely the opinion of the author and should not be taken as investment advice.
Follow Jesse Cohen on X/Twitter @JesseCohenInv for more stock market analysis and insight.
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