New Delhi, Aug. 7 -- When investors look for stocks to buy, they often seek companies that are hard to replace,with a dominant position in their industry, few credible rivals, and a loyal customer base that keeps coming back.

These are the companies investors often call "monopoly" or "near-monopoly" stocks.

No listed company runs a true monopoly, of course. But a handful have built such strong, entrenched positions that competitors struggle to even come close.

Interestingly, even as the June quarter saw FIIs pull out a net Rs.49028 crore, part of a sustained selloff that pushed overall FII holdings in Indian equities to a 14-year low of 15.88%, a few monopoly-style stocks bucked the trend and saw FII buying.

We look at three such stoc...