The U.S. economy is sending mixed—but increasingly concerning—signals. Strip out the AI boom that has propped up equities, and you’re left with a picture that looks far weaker than the headline numbers suggest. Consumer finances are stretched. Savings rates have collapsed toward historic lows. Corporate earnings growth outside mega-cap tech is sluggish. And the most alarming metric of all—debt across households, corporations, and the government—has surged to all-time highs.

In an environment like this, market risk doesn’t just exist—it compounds. High leverage makes downturns more destabilizing, liquidity more fragile, and recoveries more uneven. When markets are priced for perfection and the real economy is flashing warning signs, investors need to think less about chasing upside and more about protecting their portfolios.

Protection doesn’t mean panic or going entirely to cash. It means building shock absorbers—positions that help cushion volatility, hedge sharp drawdowns, or diversify you away from the pockets of fragility forming beneath the surface. Below are five ETFs that offer simple, resilient, no-nonsense protection in a market that may be more vulnerable than it looks.