A stock fund, either an ETF or a mutual fund, is a great way to invest during a recession. A fund tends to be less volatile than a portfolio of a few stocks, and investors are wagering less on any single stock than they are on the economy's return and a rise in market sentiment.
Federal Bond Funds
Several types of bond funds are particularly popular with risk-averse investors. Funds made up of U.S. Treasury bonds lead the pack, as they are considered to be one of the safest.
Some of the most common types of safe assets historically include real estate property, cash, Treasury bills, money market funds, and U.S. Treasuries mutual funds. The safest assets are known as risk-free assets, such as sovereign debt instruments issued by governments of developed countries.
For more than 200 years, investing in real estate has been the most popular investment for millionaires to keep their money. During all these years, real estate investments have been the primary way millionaires have had of making and keeping their wealth.
And having cash handy is vital during a recession in case of a job loss or other reduction in income. And as rates rise your cash will earn more money in a savings account. Reduce debt: If you have high-interest debt, pay it down if you can.
The real danger of keeping money in a bank is that it's not a safe place. Banks are not insured against losses and can fail at any time. In fact, there's a high likelihood that your bank will go out of business before you do.
Food is going to instantly become one of the most valuable commodities in existence in the event of an economic collapse. If you do not have food you are not going to survive. Most American families could not last much longer than a month on what they have in their house right now.
If you are a short-term investor, bank CDs and Treasury securities are a good bet. If you are investing for a longer time period, fixed or indexed annuities or even indexed universal life insurance products can provide better returns than Treasury bonds.
Ball and Dynan say the most “recession-proof” industries that offer strong job security during economic downturns include: health care. government. computers and information technology.
Or even: “The world's most valuable asset in a time of crisis”. And, of course, they're talking about gold.
Hedge fund manager John Paulson reached fame during the credit crisis for a spectacular bet against the U.S. housing market. This timely bet made his firm, Paulson & Co., an estimated $2.5 billion during the crisis.
Profiting from Crisis is a story about how corporations, backed by lawyers, are using international investment agreements to scavenge for profits by suing governments from Europe's crisis countries. It shows how the global investment regime thrives on economic crises, but is very uneven in who it benefits.
Consumer staples, including toothpaste, soap, and shampoo, enjoy a steady demand for their products during recessions and other emergencies, such as pandemics. Discount stores often do incredibly well during recessions because their staple products are cheaper.
Another red flag that you have too much cash in your savings account is if you exceed the $250,000 limit set by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) — obviously not a concern for the average saver.
Liquidity describes your ability to exchange an asset for cash. The easier it is to convert an asset into cash, the more liquid it is. And cash is generally considered the most liquid asset.