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
+1.8%

Performance as of Aug 23, 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 Aug 23, 2026.

Total Return

+1.8%

↑ AGG -1.9%

Ann. Return

+1.8%

↑ AGG -1.9%

Ann. Vol

13.7%

↑ AGG 4.0%

Sharpe

0.13

↑ AGG -0.49

Max Drawdown

-9.4%

↓ AGG -4.1%

Alpha vs AGG

+4.6%

↓ hit rate 48.8%

Performance as of Aug 23, 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 Aug 23, 2026.

DateModel basket wealth indexAGG
Aug 26, 20251.0000x1.0000x
Aug 27, 20250.9999x1.0010x
Aug 28, 20250.9924x1.0022x
Aug 29, 20250.9994x1.0009x
Sep 2, 20250.9936x0.9950x
Sep 3, 20250.9896x0.9986x
Sep 4, 20250.9896x1.0026x
Sep 5, 20250.9964x1.0073x
Sep 8, 20250.9866x1.0108x
Sep 9, 20250.9915x1.0088x
Sep 10, 20250.9887x1.0108x
Sep 11, 20250.9963x1.0127x
Sep 12, 20250.9936x1.0118x
Sep 15, 20250.9871x1.0135x
Sep 16, 20250.9878x1.0139x
Sep 17, 20250.9947x1.0121x
Sep 18, 20250.9830x1.0093x
Sep 19, 20250.9826x1.0093x
Sep 22, 20250.9790x1.0081x
Sep 23, 20250.9857x1.0097x
Sep 24, 20250.9868x1.0077x
Sep 25, 20250.9836x1.0063x
Sep 26, 20250.9875x1.0070x
Sep 29, 20250.9895x1.0090x
Sep 30, 20250.9913x1.0089x
Oct 1, 20250.9917x1.0082x
Oct 2, 20250.9830x1.0093x
Oct 3, 20250.9865x1.0082x
Oct 6, 20250.9787x1.0059x
Oct 7, 20250.9857x1.0076x
Oct 8, 20250.9775x1.0077x
Oct 9, 20250.9763x1.0065x
Oct 10, 20250.9816x1.0107x
Oct 13, 20250.9761x1.0126x
Oct 14, 20250.9872x1.0142x
Oct 15, 20250.9895x1.0138x
Oct 16, 20250.9917x1.0174x
Oct 17, 20250.9972x1.0160x
Oct 20, 20251.0019x1.0177x
Oct 21, 20251.0044x1.0187x
Oct 22, 20251.0050x1.0186x
Oct 23, 20250.9987x1.0168x
Oct 24, 20250.9982x1.0178x
Oct 27, 20250.9968x1.0185x
Oct 28, 20250.9822x1.0191x
Oct 29, 20250.9667x1.0143x
Oct 30, 20250.9717x1.0124x
Oct 31, 20250.9700x1.0118x
Nov 3, 20250.9611x1.0072x
Nov 4, 20250.9569x1.0077x
Nov 5, 20250.9508x1.0050x
Nov 6, 20250.9510x1.0088x
Nov 7, 20250.9589x1.0084x
Nov 10, 20250.9552x1.0080x
Nov 11, 20250.9705x1.0110x
Nov 12, 20250.9691x1.0106x
Nov 13, 20250.9629x1.0075x
Nov 14, 20250.9648x1.0063x
Nov 17, 20250.9587x1.0065x
Nov 18, 20250.9641x1.0071x
Nov 19, 20250.9567x1.0071x
Nov 20, 20250.9545x1.0084x
Nov 21, 20250.9657x1.0108x
Nov 24, 20250.9588x1.0128x
Nov 25, 20250.9622x1.0144x
Nov 26, 20250.9678x1.0160x
Nov 28, 20250.9721x1.0146x
Dec 1, 20250.9579x1.0069x
Dec 2, 20250.9527x1.0083x
Dec 3, 20250.9542x1.0102x
Dec 4, 20250.9530x1.0077x
Dec 5, 20250.9479x1.0066x
Dec 8, 20250.9400x1.0050x
Dec 9, 20250.9368x1.0041x
Dec 10, 20250.9333x1.0073x
Dec 11, 20250.9368x1.0075x
Dec 12, 20250.9432x1.0044x
Dec 15, 20250.9520x1.0054x
Dec 16, 20250.9466x1.0073x
Dec 17, 20250.9545x1.0070x
Dec 18, 20250.9436x1.0096x
Dec 19, 20250.9334x1.0047x
Dec 22, 20250.9339x1.0043x
Dec 23, 20250.9346x1.0043x
Dec 24, 20250.9417x1.0065x
Dec 26, 20250.9431x1.0067x
Dec 29, 20250.9444x1.0080x
Dec 30, 20250.9453x1.0075x
Dec 31, 20250.9394x1.0051x
Jan 2, 20260.9382x1.0048x
Jan 5, 20260.9360x1.0067x
Jan 6, 20260.9348x1.0065x
Jan 7, 20260.9222x1.0075x
Jan 8, 20260.9378x1.0057x
Jan 9, 20260.9383x1.0080x
Jan 12, 20260.9454x1.0074x
Jan 13, 20260.9537x1.0084x
Jan 14, 20260.9664x1.0099x
Jan 15, 20260.9681x1.0086x
Jan 16, 20260.9725x1.0068x
Jan 20, 20260.9741x1.0030x
Jan 21, 20260.9752x1.0063x
Jan 22, 20260.9717x1.0065x
Jan 23, 20260.9759x1.0074x
Jan 26, 20260.9753x1.0090x
Jan 27, 20260.9802x1.0083x
Jan 28, 20260.9710x1.0078x
Jan 30, 20260.9890x1.0076x
Feb 2, 20260.9816x1.0032x
Feb 3, 20260.9955x1.0033x
Feb 4, 20261.0060x1.0027x
Feb 5, 20261.0109x1.0070x
Feb 6, 20261.0097x1.0076x
Feb 9, 20261.0053x1.0080x
Feb 10, 20261.0160x1.0109x
Feb 11, 20261.0259x1.0086x
Feb 12, 20261.0415x1.0131x
Feb 13, 20261.0522x1.0163x
Feb 17, 20261.0503x1.0164x
Feb 18, 20261.0329x1.0150x
Feb 19, 20261.0435x1.0152x
Feb 20, 20261.0516x1.0154x
Feb 23, 20261.0659x1.0174x
Feb 24, 20261.0675x1.0173x
Feb 25, 20261.0551x1.0168x
Feb 26, 20261.0615x1.0184x
Feb 27, 20261.0794x1.0204x
Mar 2, 20261.0714x1.0132x
Mar 3, 20261.0598x1.0121x
Mar 4, 20261.0556x1.0117x
Mar 5, 20261.0388x1.0088x
Mar 6, 20261.0407x1.0075x
Mar 9, 20261.0420x1.0108x
Mar 10, 20261.0402x1.0074x
Mar 11, 20261.0321x1.0029x
Mar 12, 20261.0301x0.9992x
Mar 13, 20261.0326x0.9984x
Mar 16, 20261.0403x1.0023x
Mar 17, 20261.0344x1.0043x
Mar 18, 20261.0119x1.0001x
Mar 19, 20261.0083x1.0012x
Mar 20, 20260.9871x0.9929x
Mar 23, 20260.9877x0.9966x
Mar 24, 20260.9785x0.9939x
Mar 25, 20260.9778x0.9974x
Mar 26, 20260.9786x0.9917x
Mar 27, 20260.9837x0.9916x
Mar 30, 20260.9937x0.9967x
Mar 31, 20260.9943x0.9990x
Apr 1, 20260.9957x0.9963x
Apr 2, 20261.0010x0.9986x
Apr 6, 20261.0017x0.9968x
Apr 7, 20260.9957x0.9980x
Apr 8, 20261.0090x1.0006x
Apr 9, 20261.0197x1.0012x
Apr 10, 20261.0163x0.9995x
Apr 13, 20261.0089x1.0015x
Apr 14, 20261.0062x1.0041x
Apr 15, 20261.0013x1.0025x
Apr 16, 20261.0052x1.0011x
Apr 17, 20261.0164x1.0048x
Apr 20, 20261.0087x1.0047x
Apr 21, 20260.9900x1.0010x
Apr 22, 20260.9897x1.0024x
Apr 23, 20261.0079x1.0008x
Apr 24, 20261.0076x1.0022x
Apr 27, 20261.0009x1.0007x
Apr 28, 20261.0163x1.0003x
Apr 29, 20261.0106x0.9959x
Apr 30, 20261.0267x0.9973x
May 1, 20261.0240x0.9953x
May 4, 20261.0140x0.9922x
May 5, 20261.0142x0.9940x
May 6, 20261.0182x0.9982x
May 7, 20261.0031x0.9958x
May 8, 20260.9992x0.9981x
May 11, 20261.0013x0.9955x
May 12, 20261.0080x0.9926x
May 13, 20260.9968x0.9930x
May 14, 20260.9973x0.9927x
May 15, 20260.9910x0.9864x
May 18, 20261.0047x0.9863x
May 19, 20261.0130x0.9825x
May 20, 20261.0142x0.9884x
May 21, 20261.0159x0.9896x
May 22, 20261.0181x0.9906x
May 26, 20261.0154x0.9935x
May 27, 20261.0227x0.9943x
May 28, 20261.0147x0.9963x
May 29, 20261.0059x0.9969x
Jun 1, 20260.9875x0.9931x
Jun 2, 20260.9908x0.9934x
Jun 3, 20260.9871x0.9912x
Jun 4, 20260.9975x0.9929x
Jun 5, 20261.0183x0.9879x
Jun 8, 20261.0055x0.9879x
Jun 9, 20261.0248x0.9899x
Jun 10, 20261.0378x0.9893x
Jun 11, 20261.0288x0.9951x
Jun 12, 20261.0334x0.9939x
Jun 15, 20261.0268x0.9948x
Jun 16, 20261.0281x0.9960x
Jun 17, 20261.0113x0.9924x
Jun 18, 20261.0048x0.9953x
Jun 22, 20261.0040x0.9926x
Jun 23, 20261.0201x0.9934x
Jun 24, 20261.0210x0.9982x
Jun 25, 20261.0103x0.9988x
Jun 26, 20261.0301x0.9997x
Jun 29, 20261.0208x1.0000x
Jun 30, 20261.0033x0.9961x
Jul 1, 20261.0056x0.9912x
Jul 2, 20261.0311x0.9924x
Jul 6, 20261.0144x0.9929x
Jul 7, 20261.0309x0.9883x
Jul 8, 20261.0185x0.9866x
Jul 9, 20261.0116x0.9880x
Jul 10, 20261.0192x0.9870x
Jul 13, 20261.0288x0.9833x
Jul 14, 20261.0198x0.9862x
Jul 15, 20261.0158x0.9876x
Jul 16, 20261.0386x0.9875x
Jul 17, 20261.0284x0.9882x
Jul 20, 20261.0215x0.9857x
Jul 21, 20261.0136x0.9836x
Jul 22, 20261.0233x0.9820x
Jul 23, 20261.0171x0.9796x
Jul 24, 20261.0271x0.9808x
Jul 27, 20261.0309x0.9831x
Jul 28, 20261.0471x0.9854x
Jul 29, 20261.0513x0.9817x
Jul 30, 20261.0337x0.9824x
Jul 31, 20261.0299x0.9799x
Aug 3, 20261.0235x0.9788x
Aug 4, 20261.0282x0.9828x
Aug 5, 20261.0184x0.9833x
Aug 6, 20261.0205x0.9805x
Aug 7, 20261.0207x0.9822x
Aug 10, 20261.0120x0.9786x
Aug 11, 20261.0115x0.9794x
Aug 12, 20261.0153x0.9805x
Aug 13, 20261.0230x0.9831x
Aug 14, 20261.0248x0.9810x
Aug 17, 20261.0152x0.9787x
Aug 18, 20261.0185x0.9797x
Aug 19, 20261.0282x0.9844x
Aug 20, 20261.0268x0.9811x
Aug 21, 20261.0223x0.9797x

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.