Five-Star Stock Picks for Beating a Recession

Stocks are mixed today, but the Dow is down more than 2.5 percent for the week. CNBC asked the pros for advice on helping investors protect their portfolios in these uncertain market times.

The Case for Inter Digital

[On Inter Digital ] “They have 3,000 patents for high-speed Internet communications … they’ve got 9,000 more patents in the pipeline, and so when you’re talking 3G communication, whether it’s Research in Motion or the iPhone, these guys, also trading near 52-week lows, look extremely attractive.

- Jon Najarian, OptionMonster.com Co-Founder

Recession-Resistant Small Caps

"Small caps will tend to lead the market coming out [of a recession], because they have earnings growth ... So we find a lot of companies that are still growing in this market; they have cash, they’re not impacted by the credit crisis, and they have something unique and different that they do, and that’s really the trick to small caps.  They survive or prosper by the uniqueness of the product or service they offer, so they tend to be somewhat recession-resistant, which is counterintuitive, but is actually what happens to the growth end of the market."

- Mary Lisanti, AH Lisanti Capital Growth President

Lisanti recommends: Icon PLC , Carizzo Oil & Gas and Rubicon

Going Global With U.S. Stocks

Obviously we like the global story -- 6.4 billion people outside the United States -- so we’re making a bet in health care, energy and materials, but also in broadband technology and some of the fundamental building blocks of the Internet.

- George Shipp, BB&T Special Opportunities Fund Lead Manager

Shipp recommends: Cisco , Comcast and eBay

Playing Defense

“The Fed is going to cut interest rates on March 18, and you’re going to see the dollar really take a tumble.  Maybe exposure to gold makes a little bit of sense … maybe the gold ETFs.  I’d also take a look at energy stocks, maybe like a Murphy Oil , [an] oil and gas exploration company, because I think oil is going to continue to rise when the dollar continues to go lower.

- Robert Pavlik, Oak Tree Asset Management CIO

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