Pros Say: Get Used to Idea of Dow at 6,000

Stocks were down heavily Thursday, following Wall Street's overnight selloff. The Dow Jones Industrial Average closed at a 5-1/2-year low, below 8,000, as a U.S. bailout of the auto industry appeared unlikely, spurring further economy fears. CNBC's experts believe the blue-chip index will fall a lot further before year end.

Dow Could Hit 6,500

Expect a further 10%-15% drop in the Dow, predicts Ron Ianieri, chief markets strategist at Options University, adding that the index could slide to 6,500.

More Dour Dow Predictions

• Charts Predict: Dow 6,400 in Less than a Month
• Charts Predict: Dow to 6,700 in 'Accelerated' Slump

Stocks May Stay Low For a Long Time

Stocks could stay at low levels for a long time if the recession is a prolonged one, warns Mark Matthews, chief Asia strategist at Merrill Lynch.

WALL STREET IN CRISIS - A CNBC SPECIAL REPORT

Buy into the Volatility

The volatile markets are a great buying opportunity for investors, says Hugh Young, global head of equities at Aberdeen Asset Management, speaking to CNBC.

Shorting Currencies

Short euro-Swissie and euro-yen, says John Hydeskov, senior analyst at Danske Bank.

Unwinding of Carry Trade

Expect another round of carry trade unwinding by the end of this week, says Sharada Selvanathan, currency strategist at BNP Paribas.

Gloomy Outlook for Chips

No real upside for the chip sector is seen in the near-term, says Bhavin Shah, MD and Head of Global Technology Research, JPMorgan Securities.

Investing in India

Jigar Shah, senior VP & Head of Research, Kim Eng India tells CNBC he is bullish on India's pharmaceuticals and telecom sectors.

Focus on Growth Stocks

David Chon, partner at Atlas Capital Management tells CNBC he is looking out for stocks with growth potential.

Good Time to Buy Energy Stocks?

With oil prices sliding to the $53 mark, Joe Magyer, senior analyst at The Motley Fool and Michael Yoshikami, President & chief investment strategist at YCMNET Advisors, tell CNBC whether it's a good time to buy energy stocks.

Bailout Will Cause More Problems

The bailout measures being put in place will cause more problems down the road, believes Ron Ianieri, chief markets strategist at Options University. He tells CNBC why the big 3 automakers should be left to fail.

Stick to Defensive Stocks

Investors should look for defensive stocks with good dividend yields and good cash flows, Petra Von Kerssenbrock from Commerzbank told CNBC.

Food and beverage, utilities, oil and gas, telecoms and health-care stocks all fall into the defensive category, Kerssenbrock said. Banks and cyclical stocks such as industrial goods and services, autos and chemicals, should be avoided she added.

Even Cash is Getting Risky

Investors are sitting on the sidelines as more bad news continues to emerge, Jacob Schmidt, CEO of Schmidt Research Partners, told CNBC Thursday. Martin Hennecke from Tyche says even cash is risky.