Discuss of a recession appears to dominate the market debate, with traders holding contrasting ideas over when one will hit, how lengthy it can final, and what the lingering aftershocks will convey. This may make it tough for traders to arrange their portfolios for a possible downturn. Due to this, Morgan Stanley compiled a listing of fortress shares that might situate and defend traders’ portfolios for a pending recession. “With adequate liquidity and solvency to run operations and repair debt, these shares ought to have higher draw back safety than common,” wrote strategist Todd Castagno in a be aware Tuesday. The display screen featured Russell 1000 firms — excluding financials, actual property and utilities — with stable steadiness sheets and liquidity, that met the next standards: Money as a proportion of enterprise worth better than 2.5% Anticipated optimistic free money circulation progress over the subsequent two years Return on invested capital anticipated in every of the subsequent two years of greater than 7.5%. A present belongings over liabilities ratio better than 1 Low leverage, with a debt-to-equity ratio of lower than 2.5 This display screen additionally consists of firms with investment-grade credit score rankings and excludes these with unfavourable fairness. Fashionable off-price retailer Ross Shops made Morgan Stanley’s record. Shares are up 2% this 12 months following a close to 20% rally this month on better-than-expected outcomes. The inventory ranked as the very best performer within the S & P 500 for the buying and selling week that ended Nov.18, when it surged 17% . It gives a cash-to-enterprise worth of 11.3%, with free money flows anticipated to develop simply 1.6% subsequent 12 months, earlier than leaping to almost 31% the 12 months after. Networking gear and software program firm Cisco additionally met the standards. Earlier this month, the corporate reported quarterly outcomes that exceeded analysts and lifted its steerage for the fiscal 2023 12 months. The corporate’s free money flows are forecasted to develop 20.9% subsequent 12 months and 11.1% the next 12 months. On the tech entrance, Airbnb made the minimize together with software program firm Zscaler . The shares are off by 42% and 58%, respectively, this 12 months, and supply money as a proportion of enterprise worth of 10% and eight.2%. A current CNBC Professional display screen discovered Zscaler amongst a number of the Nasdaq 100 shares that might lead tech larger going ahead. A number of semiconductor names have been included within the display screen, together with Qualcomm , which gives money as a proportion of enterprise worth of 4.3%. The corporate is predicted to develop free money flows by 64% subsequent 12 months, however that is forecasted to gradual to simply 17.4% the next 12 months. Microsoft , Hoka-owner Deckers Out of doors , Merck and Johnson & Johnson additionally made the record. — CNBC’s Michael Bloom contributed reporting