The world's economies have fallen to their weakest level since the Great Recession ended in 2009. German and U.S. bonds actually charge buyers interest rather than pay buyers interest. The euro zone's survival appears at risk and China's red-hot economy, the second-biggest in the world, is not so red hot any more. It's enough to make a retail investor throw in the towel. And in case that's not incentive enough to get out, there are the market gyrations. "Some people are trying to take money out of the market just because of volatility," Jerry Doyle, a wealth strategist with BNY Mellon Wealth Management, said. So what's a retail investor to do? Firstly, breathe deeply ... there really are alternatives to the stock and bond markets and the troubles in the euro zone and China. Stuffing cash under a mattress is not the only alternative. Secondly, read this guide on how to protect assets from the storms and downdrafts pummeling conventional securities. When considering an alternative investment, consider whether it can be quickly sold for cash. That's called liquidity. Fine art or collectible cars may take longer to sell than gold or futures. If you won't need the money for awhile, liquidity matters less; if you will need the money in the short-term, liquidity matters more. Secondly, make sure the alternative investment rises when conventional markets falls and falls when conventional markets rise. That's called noncorrelation. An alternative investment that loses value when bonds or stocks lose value, isn't much of an alternative. Thirdly, determine whether there is any demand for the alternative investment. Ignore alternative investments that strike most people as merely weird. The demand for a highly unusual piece of art by a noted artist could cost a fortune but be of zero interest outside a tight circle of the cognoscenti. Likewise, be careful not to price yourself out of a limited market; an over-the-top price tag can kill off demand as quickly as weirdness can. Fourthly, gauge an alternative investment's objective value. Does its perceived worth vary greatly by region, or does its value rise and fall according to the mood du jour of cultural brahmins? Precious metals and diamonds tend to have a higher objective -- that is steady -- value than do sculptures. Lastly, when reading advice on alternative investments make sure you know exactly what an advisor is trying to protect against. Some advisors offer advice for use if the stock market declines more than 20 percent; other advisors offer advice for use if a global apocalypse drives us into bands of hunter-gatherers. What is good advice for one scenario is bad advice for another. The Midas Touch "There's no question in the case of gold specifically. Gold today is increasingly being treated as currency alternative," said James Kuntz, managing director for Pacific Wealth Management. Gold is increasingly used as currency by central banks and in developing economies such as India, and many see it as being the only asset with any true inherent value. Moreover, there is "definitely a historical factor of gold that has gone back over the millennia. At the end of the day, it's a store of value," Kuntz said.

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