Investors should brace themselves for turbulent times in the stock market, so Clare Francis offers some tips on safe-haven shares for your self-select Isa that should weather the storm.

Tesco

The supermarket giant receives £1 out of every £7 spent in British shops. Last week it announced that its market share is still increasing, having risen from 30.4 per cent to 31.3 per cent over the past three months.

The share price closed at 441Åp on Friday having risen 34 per cent over the past 12 months.

Royal Bank of Scotland

The world’s fifth-largest bank, which owns NatWest, reported a 17 per cent increase in pretax profits for 2006 to £9.2 billion and it has just increased its dividend by 25 per cent. Investors will now receive a yield of 4.3 per cent — and that is before any growth in share prices. Richard Hunter at Hargreaves Lansdown, said: “RBS currently stands out as the pick of the bunch within the banking sector.” Its shares closed at £21.10 on Friday.

Reckitt Benckiser

The company behind Airwick and Cillit Bang is the world’s largest producer of household cleaning products. Sales rose 9% in the final quarter of last year. The company has also announced a £300m share buyback, which should boost prices. The shares are currently trading at £25.97 but Credit Suisse believes they will rise to £30.

Glaxo Smith Kline

The company is focusing on developing new drugs. Five big launches are expected this year including a new oral drug for breast cancer and a vaccine to prevent cervical cancer. Nick Raynor at The Share Centre, said: “Pharmaceuticals is a good, defensive sector.”

The shares are yielding 3.2 per cent and they closed at £14.35 on Friday.

Imperial Tobacco

Imperial is the world’s fourth-largest tobacco provider and one of only two tobacco firms left in the FTSE 100. Shares have risen 17 per cent over the past year and closed at £21.06 on Friday.