There's been a fair amount of chatter lately among pundits and experts that the global economy may be on course to sidestep the recession some had feared would result from central banks' inflation-fighting efforts, and instead make the "soft landing" those institutions had been aiming for. The stock market is reflecting this growing optimism. The S 500 is now up 10% from last month's low and is back to 26% above last October's bottom. We may be OK after all.

It would be unwise, however, to completely dismiss the possibility of a recession, and to fail to plan for the market bearishness such events can cause. Typically, recessions are trouble for stocks -- but this trio of tickers could actually thrive on economic weakness.

Unlike most other retailers, (NYSE: WMT) isn't vulnerable to the crimped consumer spending that typically accompanies a recession. That's because more than half of its revenue comes from the sale of groceries, which people are going to purchase regardless of the economic environment.

Continue reading

Source Fool.com