Wal-Mart (WMT) Bucks Today's Trend And Closes Up

Wal-Mart (NYSE: WMT) closed up 0.2% on a day when the S&P 500 ended down 2.6%.

 Investors turned skittish at the beginning of October fleeing most stocks, most commodities, and bearish dollar plays. Treasuries got a boost as some found solace there.

Wal-Mart, a traditional defensive equity play, has a very low beta and only moderate correlation with the general market. If the market continues to move down look for Wal-Mart and other defensive names like Johnson & Johnson (NYSE: JNJ) to outperform.