This year, a harsh economic backdrop sent the Nasdaq Composite into a bear market, with the index down 30.6% from its high. Bear markets can be challenging for investors, but they're a normal part of functioning markets. Tech growth stocks, in particular, have been battered, with many down 70% or more and trading near their 52-week lows.

In situations like this, it's best for investors to not try to time the bottom of a bear market. Instead, use this time to research (and potentially invest in) companies you believe have real potential to deliver excellent long-term returns. Three companies with tremendous potential that are trading near 52-week lows are Block (NYSE: SQ), Marqeta (NASDAQ: MQ), and Shopify (NYSE: SHOP).

If you've got $5,000 that isn't needed to pay bills, bolster an emergency fund, or reduce short-term debt, you might want to consider using it to buy stock in any of these three discounted companies.

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Source Fool.com