The Unexciting Secret to Staying Afloat
When a recession bites, our priorities change. Suddenly, that experimental biotech firm with no profits seems a lot less appealing than the company that makes your toothpaste. This, in a nutshell, is the secret to recession-resistant investing. It’s about identifying businesses whose products or services are so essential that demand barely flinches, even when people are tightening their belts.
Think about it. During the 2008 financial crisis, when banks were imploding, did people stop taking life-saving medicines? Of course not. That’s why a company like the pharmaceutical giant Gilead Sciences sailed through the turmoil relatively unscathed. Its revenue is tied to human health, not economic confidence. Similarly, a behemoth like Procter & Gamble, which stocks our bathrooms with everything from soap to razors, has a customer base that isn't going to stop buying its products just because the stock market is having a tantrum. It’s hardly rocket science, it’s just common sense.