Utility stocks and funds are in a fortuitous position right now. Investors tend to seek them out when recession fears creep (like they are right now), and they also tend to perform well when interest rates decline.

Several countries have shown signs of economic weakness, sparking worries about a global recession. The U.S.-Chinese trade war hasn't helped, blunting the growth of the planet's two largest economies. And Derek Horstmeyer, an assistant finance professor at George Mason University, points out what many experts have said about the yield curve's recent inversion. Namely, he calls it a "strong signal that we are in the late stages of economic expansion and may indeed be headed for a recession within the next 18 months."

That's a boon to safe-haven sectors such as utilities and consumer staples, as what they produce is always in demand, no matter what the economy is doing. Utility stocks, with their high returns on assets and high dividends, should be considered given that they "tend to do well in late-cycle periods," Horstmeyer says.

The utility sector also is attractive as interest rates fall, says Robert Johnson, a finance professor at Creighton University. "The dividend yield on the utility sector is especially attractive in this abnormally low-interest-rate environment as the yields on utility stocks exceed the yields on long-term U.S. government debt by a substantial margin," he says.

Here are 11 utility stocks and fund to buy for safety and income. This list includes a few standouts in the sector, as well as several ways to diversify your risk while collecting these stocks' above-average dividends.

CenterPoint Energy