By anyone's reckoning, it was a rough week.  Crude oil continued its relentless climb; banks and brokerages gave hints of more discouraging news; government data pointed to a weak economy; even strong companies like Nike, Oracle, and Research In Motion issued cautious guidance; and Federal Reserve policymakers, widely perceived as powerless to help, left interest rates unchanged.  But all week, even through the worst of the market's sell-offs, CNBC guests offered

Ahead of the Fed's decision on Wednesday, the market pros shared stock picks with CNBC.

With stocks sharply lower today, shareholders need to protect their portfolios. So what are some of the best defensive stock picks? CNBC asked the experts.

Five-star fund managers are looking past this week's market gyrations and offering investors some promising stock opportunities.