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Tuesday’s bad economic news, and the sharp selloff that resulted, are the latest signs that the stock-market decline is still going on.

Really bad stock markets knock down shares of all kinds. That’s essentially what has been happening since the start of 2008, as subprime fallout led to recession anxiety. But not every market sector faces the same problems and uncertainties.

Volatility. That’s the one thing that seems predictable in today’s stock market. Share prices are swinging up and down more violently than they have anytime in the past five years. And that seems likely to continue.

My first article for money appeared in 1980, and since then I’ve learned two things about the stock market.

Cash is suddenly king again. And as you’ll see, that presents you with a bargain-hunting opportunity.

The Federal Reserve’s large interest rate cut on Tuesday is just the latest sign that experts think the economy is heading straight for recession.

The stock market is in turmoil. Fears of a recession are rising. And experts question whether the Federal Reserve’s big interest-rate cuts are enough to save the economy. Does that mean you need to be doing a dozen things right now to protect your inve…

The economy is weakening, the stock market is slumping and there’s plenty of bad news. It’s easy to feel confused.

The Dow tumbled last week, and the bad news is spreading. Sectors that haven’t been badly affected until now are dropping along with long-troubled groups like the financials.

If you think the economy is going to bounce back from the current slowdown before next spring, as I do, then the natural question is which stocks will lead the market recovery.

As the price of crude oil broke $90 a barrel for the first time, investors worried that stocks were headed for a major downturn. But the odds are high that the bull market will survive.

News this week that major banks are planning a massive fund to prop up the hardest-hit victims of the subprime mortgage crisis got investors worrying again.

Shares of beverage companies have always ranked high among the market’s safe havens in uncertain times. Even when consumer incomes are stretched thin, sales of beer and soda don’t suffer much.

Because of changes in my schedule, this will be the last of my weekly columns written specifically for the CNNMoney.com Web site and e-mailed to readers.

Everyone understands the advantages of growth investing. Bet on a company with a hot new technology or a great retailing idea, and as the business expands, the share price will soar.

The older this bull market gets, the more you wonder whether it can last much longer. Certainly the Dow’s sudden drop in late February is a reminder that things can change quickly.

Even if it’s not the most timely stock, Applied Materials looks like a compelling value for long-term tech investors. The company also has a great additional appeal.

Last week’s unexpected drop in stock prices has unsettled a lot of investors and restarted serious talk that a recession or a bear market is on the way. Either of those threats could come to pass, of course, but neither is particularly likely.

I recommended both Home Depot and Lowe’s Companies in the January issue of Money magazine. Since then, both do-it-yourself retailers have reported earnings declines, and analysts expect results for the current year to be up only slightly – or even down.

Nothing happens in business until somebody sells something. And most of the time, that requires a lot of advertising.