Unless you are retiring in the next decade, it is highly advisable to invest a 401k in the stock market. You get significantly higher returns over the long run. And any losses due to a recession are more than made up for by the significantly higher returns every other year.

When you are nearing retirement (5-10 years out), that is when you want to put the money into something safe and stable like CDs. That way if there is a recession as you retire, it won’t affect your fund.