As the word “recession” increasingly surfaces in seemingly every conversation about the economy, one analyst has suggested to Barron’s a handful of stocks that in theory should thrive amid an economic contraction.

Loop Capital Markets analyst Anthony Chukumba told Barron’s that the top performers in the 2008 recession tended to be companies that catered to people who had fallen on hard times. Dollar stores outperformed, as did rent-to-own retailers.

Fewer people had access to credit, so they depended more on companies allowing them to pay for things in installments.

With more recession fears on the horizon, Chukumba reiterated his Buy ratings on five stocks: Aaron’s (AAN), Five Below (FIVE), National Vision (EYE), Ollie’s Bargain Outlet (OLLI) and Dollar General (DG).

“Conversely,” Chukumba wrote, “we would be wary of specialty... retailers of high-priced, discretionary merchandise such as Restoration Hardware (RH) and Williams-Sonoma (particularly given how the latter’s financial results deteriorated during the Great Recession).”

A number of U.S. business economists appear sufficiently concerned about the risks of some of President Donald Trump's economic policies that they expect a recession in the U.S. by the end of 2021, the Associated Press said.

Thirty-four percent of economists surveyed by the National Association for Business Economics, in a report being released Monday, said they believe a slowing economy will tip into recession in 2021. That's up from 25% in a survey taken in February. Only 2% of those polled expect a recession to begin this year, while 38% predict that it will occur in 2020.

Trump, however, has dismissed concerns about a recession, offering an optimistic outlook for the economy after last week's steep drop in the financial markets and saying on Sunday, "I don't think we're having a recession." A strong economy is key to the Republican president's 2020 reelection prospects.

The economists have previously expressed concern that Trump's tariffs and higher budget deficits could eventually dampen the economy.

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