The correct answer is      (A.)  iShares S&P Global Utilities (JXI)

Despite losing ground over the past few months, the S&P Global Utilities Index has still produced impressive annualized gains of +11.4% over the past five years -- versus a loss of -2.2% for the S&P 500.

JXI tracks the performance of utility stocks contained in the S&P Global 1200 Index. That list includes roughly 70 utility companies ranging in size from a small $1 billion market cap to a gargantuan $130 billion. The fund has a stake in well-known domestic utilities like Exelon (NYSE: EXC), which owns the nation's largest nuclear generating fleet, and FPL Group (NYSE: FPL), whose Florida customer base continues to swell. But by casting a wider net, the fund also snags well-positioned utilities in Germany, France, Japan, and other developed markets. In fact, roughly two-thirds of the fund's assets are deployed overseas.

JXI doesn't employ leverage like its closed-end rivals, nor does it stuff the portfolio with junk bonds, preferred shares, or other securities to boost yields. What you see is what you get -- a diversified global portfolio of conservative utility stocks for an inexpensive annual fee of just 0.48%.

Utility stocks have historically offered some degree of insulation from market volatility -- after all, retail sales might ebb and flow, but homeowners don't usually cut off the gas or electricity, and they can't switch to another provider. Though the lingering credit crisis has raised borrowing costs and forced many companies to cut back or delay expansion projects, by and large, utilities are recession-resistant and undergoing government-aided upgrades and expansions that will pave the way for stronger earnings and rising dividends in the near future.

JXI is just one of several successful utilities plays that StreetAuthority editor Nathan Slaughter highlights in his latest issue of The ETF Authority newsletter, which offers research, analysis and strategies designed to help investors profit from the market's most promising funds. Nathan brings an in-depth look at utilities' performance in today's markets and highlights eight other well-positioned funds that offer exposure to the lucrative utility sector. To learn the names of these funds, and to learn more about The ETF Authority, please visit this link.