Realty Income and Energy Transfer are reliable income plays in this wobbly market.Many dividend stocks slumped in 2022 and 2023 as rising interest rates drove investors toward higher-yielding CDs, bonds, and T-bills. However, the Federal Reserve reduced its benchmark rates six times in 2024 and 2025 as inflation cooled off.As those rates declined, high-yield stocks became more appealing again. Let's take a closer look at two of my personal favorites -- Realty Income (O +1.67%) and Energy Transfer (ET +0.61% ...