Yesterday, Ben Bernanke warned of a drawn-out slowdown for the economy. He also said the housing market “continues to be a primary source of weakness in the real economy.” Andrew Snyder says this “weakness” is really a strength.

Think about it this way: we could soon be facing a housing shortage.

Falling property prices and tighter credit markets are putting a stop on construction activity. Buildings — especially in the commercial and industrial sectors — take a long time to put up. So this industry will be the laggard when the economy recovers.

If you don’t own land, Andrew says real estate investment trusts (REITs) are a great way to play the bounce.

But you have to cherry pick.

The retail sector is a nightmare now, but health…

“The U.S. bear market has deepened,” says The IHT.

Even helicopter Ben is worried. He’s told Congress that inflation risks have “intensified” and that there’s now a threat of “significant downside” to growth.

But contrarian investors should be lapping it up, says Marc Lichtenfeld in The Smart Profits Report. A bear market is where bargains are made.

Marc has put together a list of stocks that performed well in during the last bear… and four stocks that are currently battling the bear head on…