7 Safe Stocks to Rely on When the Market Swerves Back in August, I made the argument why now’s the right time to buy safe stocks . Just over a month later, this continues to be the case. The volatility and uncertainty that has rocked the stock market so far in 2022 doesn’t show many signs of letting up anytime soon. The Federal Reserve continues to raise interest rates. This is likely to continue, as interest rates remain at multi-decade highs. Climbing interest rates are likely to continue putting pressure on the speculative stocks that thrived during the 2020|2021 bull market. Along with hurting the market, according to the World Bank, this raising of interest rates by the Fed and other central banks is raising the chances of a global recession. This could affect the operating results of many companies (both established and early-stage), also challenging a recovery for stocks. Nevertheless, the discouraging prospect of more pain ahead doesn’t mean you need to sit in cash. Your better option is to stay invested, but go on the defensive.