Earnings season — among many other factors — has the stock market (^DJI, ^IXIC, ^GSPC) stressed, resulting in heightened volatility. Tidal Financial Group portfolio manager Michael Gayed joins Wealth! to share his perspective on why investors should adopt a defensive stance through very specific sectors.

Gayed, the publisher of The Lead-Lag Report, explains that playing the market defensively involves asking, "How do you lower exposure to the factor that is likely to be most volatile?" He identifies four key areas that not only serve as leading indicators of market volatility but also tend to benefit during such periods: utilities (XLU), gold (GC=F), long-duration Treasurys (^TYX, ^TNX, ^FVX), and the US dollar.

Gayed also addresses the market's concerns about geopolitical risks and long-term blowbacks to stocks.

For more expert insight and the latest market action, click here to watch this full episode of Wealth!

This post was written by Angel Smith