Recession-Proof Stocks: The Best Stocks to Buy for a Recession

When you look for recession-proof stocks to buy, focus on low-risk, low-volatility businesses.

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After gains of more than 20% for the S&P 500 Index in both 2023 and 2024, investors are adjusting to a changed reality in 2025. The environment has shifted so much that we need to talk about recession-proof stocks.

Uncertainty about the impact of tariffs, the path of inflation and the trajectory of interest rates as well as a general fear that stocks are now overpriced top the list of reasons to fear a bear market.

More and more conversations about the economy include terms like "contraction," "stagflation" and "recession."

Investors, traders and speculators as well as policymakers and consumers face a potential future characterized by layoffs and bankruptcies.

And an entirely normal "fear" instinct has been piqued by the rapid emergence of an unconventional policy environment in Washington, D.C., in the second Trump administration.

Even the Federal Reserve is cautious when it comes to seeing what comes next.

If you're leery of chasing overpriced growth stocks and worried about a recession, the best recession-proof stocks can provide a margin of safety for your portfolio through the market cycle.

Data is as of March 19.

Jeff Reeves
Contributing Writer, Kiplinger.com

Jeff Reeves writes about equity markets and exchange-traded funds for Kiplinger. A veteran journalist with extensive capital markets experience, Jeff has written about Wall Street and investing since 2008. His work has appeared in numerous respected finance outlets, including CNBC, the Fox Business Network, the Wall Street Journal digital network, USA Today and CNN Money.