Consumer staples sector down but outperforming in sea of red

** The defensive S&P 500 consumer staples sector S5CONS was down 0.2% on Tuesday after earlier hitting an intraday record high, and it was the smallest percentage loser of the benchmark indexes 11 major industry sectors, which were falling as the trade war fears ignited a flight for safety

** The staples sector's biggest boost was from Procter & Gamble PG, which sells everything from shampoo and toothpaste to razors, contributing most index point gains with a 2% increase while soda company Pepsico PEP and snack maker Mondelez MDLZ were the next biggest boosts, up about 2%

** Walgreens Boots Alliance WWBA was Staples biggest percentage gainer, rising 6.5% to $10.92 after the Wall Street Journal reported late on Monday that WBA is closing in on deal to sell itself to private-equity firm Sycamore Partners for about $11.30 to $11.40 per share in cash

** YTD staples sector up 7.9%, leading gains among the 11 sectors with healthcare S5HLTH tagging close behind for a 7.82% gain