Consumer discretionary companies are also showing lower share profit this year than a year earlier, but results for the consumer staple sector are higher than a year earlier.

Other sectors that perform well during recessions are healthcare, up 3.9%, and consumer staples, such as beverages, food and tobacco firms, up by 3.4%.

The biggest exposure was to the consumer staples sector, accounting for 49.17 per cent.

It has 20.6% in the healthcare sector, 15.5% in financials, 11.8% in consumer staples and 7.5% in energy.

The move has prompted investors to switch out of oil and resources stocks into utilities, pharmaceuticals and consumer staples shares, which offer more secure dividends.

And yet it's cheap, easy, healthy and delicious and deserves to become a household staple.

It's a household staple but many of us stick with the same traditional recipes we have used for years.

This has led to many household staples dropping in price.

Budgeting for food and household staples, managing the weekly shop and making friends also made the list.

There are lots of salads and lunchtime wraps, chocolate bars and household staples (batteries).

The office kitchen staple makes its fashion week debut.

It's not just a kitchen staple, don't cha know?

For smelly carpets, use a kitchen staple: bicarbonate of soda.

Yes, the kitchen staple was, oddly, all over the catwalk.

Copper pans are a stately kitchen staple.

A staple item for any royal wedding souvenir collection, no-one's kitchen junk drawer will be complete without one nestling in the corner.

If you finish a staple item such as olive oil or pepper, remember to replace it.

Hyperinflation has made staple items unaffordable to many.

Only 12 per cent of cheap deals were for fresh fruit and vegetables or other healthy staple items.

Among the 80 staple items that no digs can do without are saucepans, plates, cutlery, stationery and a tin opener.

A concerted planting of alders would bring them back from the brink — alder seeds are the lesser redpoll's winter staple.

Calf-length boots are a great winter staple and not only make legs appear elongated, but also work with most outfits.

I'd go so far as to say this could be my winter staple.

I thought it would be my winter staple.

Her favourite pieces from the range include an orange roll-neck bodysuit and two teddy bear coats, which she says will be her winter staples.