In case you missed the memo, the U.S. economy is in a recession -- its first in 11 years. The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic completely turned the business world on its head, and has sent the U.S. unemployment rate to levels not consistently seen in more than eight decades. According to initial data from the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, second-quarter gross domestic product declined by an ugly 9.5% on a quarter over quarter basis.
Though things may appear grim from an economic perspective, recessions have always offered an opportunity for long-term investors to buy into high-quality stocks at attractive valuations. We may not know when a recession will occur, or how long it'll last, but we do know recessions have a history of being relatively short-lived. That's good news for optimists.
But there's another way to improve your odds of investing success even more: buy recession-resistant companies. No company is fully shielded from the effects of an economic downturn, but some highly recession-resistant stocks have what it takes to navigate these "hiccups" with ease. Here are four such names you can consider buying now.