"Every single data number that is coming out is negative and consumers and investors are just reacting to the market," said Neel Tiku from Peak Financial Management said when discussing what to avoid in these markets.

Dean Kartsonas, Federated Capital Appreciation Fund manager for Federated Investors, said his company's third-quarter investment strategy will focus on companies that offer value in a tough economy.

Wholesale retailers Kroger and Wal-Mart are a good choice, along with McDonald's and food manufacturer Unilever NV, he said.

Jeffrey Saut, chief investment strategist at Raymond James, agreed with Kartsonas' picks, adding Linn Energy, telecommunication group Alaska Communications and pharmaceutical company Schering Plough to the list because of their high dividend yields.

Regional banks may also make a comeback, Kartsonas said. Huntington Bank prereleased operating results that are still on track with what it forecast one month ago, and BBT raised its dividend one cent last week. These factors may help stabilize the industry, but investors shouldn't "jump in with both feet" just yet, he said.

To regain stablility in the market as a whole, investors just need to be patient, Kartsonas said.

"I think the market's going to have to grind through this, and hopefully going into 2009 [it will] start moving higher."

Disclosures:

Disclosure information was not immediately available for Saut, Kartsonas or their companies.

Disclaimer

U.S. tobacco market is the way to go for investors who want to keep their money safe, says Nik Modi, a tobacco analyst at UBS.

The U.S. tobacco market had a tough first half of the year due to “technical noise,” but Modi reassured investors that this is a buying opportunity. Modi says it is expected to improve in the second half.

Investing in tobacco companies is seen traditionally as a defensive play when the economy is in bear market territory. U.S. tobacco companies' sales internationally are doing exceptionally well -- while sales in the U.S. are declining, due to oversupply and concerns over inflation as well as demand.

Recommendations:

Modi "highly" recommends buying Lorrillard, the company whose main product is Newport, "the best brand of tobacco in the United States."

Investing in financials or trading technology stocks? Marc Pado, U.S. market strategist for Cantor Fitzgerald and Dan Genter, president, CEO and chief investment officer of RNC Genter Capital Management offer CNBC their stock picks.

Recommendations:

Buy financial stocks now for a long-term investment, but be very selective, Genter said.

He said some financial stocks have not been damaged and will survive the “capitulation.” Genter recommends JPMorgan, US Bancorp and Lincoln National.

“They are fundamentally sound, they’ve just been caught in this carnage…they’re going to come out the other end of the pipeline,” he said.

Randy Bateman, chief investment officer of five-star-rated Huntington Funds, revealed his stock picks to CNBC.

Cullen/Frost Bankers : "If we're going to have any meaningful stock market move on the plus side, the banks are going to have to participate," Bateman said.

Cullen has been a leader in this sector by keeping of all its activities in Texas, a state that is actually benefiting from the hike in gas prices, Bateman said. On top of that, the stock offers a 3.5 percent yield from its dividend, he said.

Trimble Navigation: The electronic equipment company, which specializes in GPS equipment, "enhances productivity in every aspect of their business," Bateman said.

"If we've got a little bit of inflation starting to rise its ugly head, I think we're going to need to see as much productivity enhancement as we possibly can," he said.

He added that despite a volatile market, the company has performed particularly well in the past 12 months.

Disclosures:

Disclosure information was not immediately available for Bateman or his company.

Disclaimer

Scott Snyder says global markets still have plenty of upside potential.

The portfolio manager for the 5-star-rated ICON International Funds says too many investors are getting "overly emotional" and looking "month by month."

"We take a quantitative, 'non-emotional' approach. We try to latch on to 1- to 2-year industry themes," said Snyder.

Will a dollar bottom derail his globalist strategy? Perhaps eventually -- but it's not a worry yet: "Clearly, the long-term trend is to a stronger dollar...but we're not seeing it yet," he said.

Recommendations:

Snyder likes Brazilian energy firm Petrobras , Germany-based insurance and financial giant Allianz and chemical firm K+S, which trades on the Berlin Stock Exchange under the ticker "SDF."

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• Learn more: Watch the entire interview (3 mins, 22 secs)

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Disclosures:

Disclosure information was not immediately available for Snyder or for his company.

Disclaimer

Daniel Dicker, president of Mercbloc, told CNBC about a "radical idea" to bring down oil prices.

Disclaimer

Paul Larson says it's time to get back into equities.

The equities strategist at Morningstar says buying stocks now will set up your portfolio for a big payoff in three to five years.

Larson offered CNBC his top U.S.-traded stock picks.

Recommendations:

Two of them may seem paradoxical: he likes Mexican-based cement company Cemex -- and Internet icon eBay.

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• Learn more: Watch the interview (2 mins, 30 secs)

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Larson praises Berkshire Hathaway, which "benefits when the rest of the financial sector is in pain." He also notes that billionaire CEO Warren Buffett is "still at the helm...creating value."

The strategist also likes pharmaceuticals firm Novartis.

Disclosures:

No disclosure information was available for Larson or for his company

Disclaimer

Conservative spending and high productivity have helped tech stocks thrive in a weak economy, said Scott Kessler, director of the Information Technology Research Group at Standard & Poor's.

Here are a few stocks he recommended as potentially recession-proof.

Recommendations:

EMC : The computer hardware company's first-quarter results were better than expected, and it plans to further invest in sales and marketing, Kessler said.

"A lot of people know them for being the largest provider of storage hardware," he said. "A lot of people don't know, however, that they're really big when it comes to software and services."

Although the stock is down 16 percent on the last six months, forward earnings are expected to rise 20 percent, he said.

Hewlett-Packard : S&P just upgraded the company to a "strong buy," Kessler said, adding that its stock trades cheap at a 12 or 13 multiple on the year.

"A lot of people, I think, were spooked by the EDS deal," he said. "We see a lot of potential there."

IBM : IBM is a good investment because it's not just about the financials, Kessler said. Energy companies and stocks are doing well and are therefore spending more when it comes to outsourcing and consulting. This will help companies like IBM andbusiness support services firm Accenture .

Oracle : The software company is a cheap stock that is sticking by 20 percent earnings growth each year, Kessler said. He predicts this growth will continue.

Disclosures:

Neither Scott Kessler nor his company own shares in the above-mentioned firms or furnish them with investment advice.

Disclaimer

Making money from options: Stacey Gilbert of Susquehanna Capital Group and Jon Najarian of OptionMonster.com offered CNBC their strategies.

Where has the options action been? "We've seen flows in retail stocks," said Gilbert. "But in terms of vaulation and sentiment," she's "less comfortable" recommending retail.

Recomendations:

Gilbert says there is a strategy for investors who are long stock, naming Citigroup specifically. She says it only works for investors who don't expect the financial giant to have "a pop," but rather a "long grind."