The current bear market continues to struggle under heavy inflation and mixed signals on the possibility of recession. When labor and financial markets get a bit iffy, consumer goods often shine as safe refuges, if not growth opportunities, for smart investors. These three companies have shown over the past five or more years that they have what it takes to handle difficult challenges and come out strong. 

PepsiCo (NASDAQ: PEP) combines the strength of its beverages with the Quaker Foods and Frito-Lay lineups of foodstuffs and related goods to maintain its place on shelves worldwide. Costco (NASDAQ: COST) brings bulk shopping home, helping consumers save on larger purchases of food and family staples. Shoppers can turn to Etsy, Inc. (NASDAQ: ETSY) just as easily as any big retailer these days for clothing, luxury, and custom goods. Each of these NASDAQ stocks offers benefits for those looking to invest to secure their funds or even grow them if and when the markets even out.

PepsiCo benefits most from its worldwide presence and exceptional product lineup. This recession-resistant stock pick owes much of its current success to careful acquisitions of products beyond its key beverage offerings. The company continues to show strong growth in its Quaker Foods and Frito-Lay offerings, with the North American divisions each delivering 14% increases in revenue year to date as of the company's July earnings report. Latin American sales also indicate exceptional growth, coming in at a hefty 21% revenue increase since the start of the year.

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Source Fool.com