EL PASO, Texas -- Even though the stock market is unstable, stock brokers hope investors don’t do this:

"The worst thing you can do is panic," said Edmund Ostic, a stock broker at Raymond James Financial Services.

That's a message people have been hearing a lot since stocks plunged, but it may be easier said than done. Monday, the Dow Jones Industrial Average dipped a record 800 points. It recovered to close at more than 300 points down, but it was the first time the Dow closed under 10,000 points in four years.

"If you need your money now maybe you should be taking it out,” said Ostic. “But if you don’t, you should be patient. The stock market always has a way of coming back."

Borderland company stocks like Western Refinery closed at more than 2 percent down, while El Paso Electric was down slightly less.

"Our stock price is off like everybody else's,” said El Paso Electric’s executive vice president and chief financial officer Scott Wilson. “We're performing a little bit better than the Dow and the S & P and even the utility indexes," he said.

Wilson said the lower stock prices have not affected the day-to-day activities of the company. He said earlier this year the company borrowed more than what they needed, so it is not concerned with the credit crunch right now either.

Investors around the world are selling off stocks as word spread that the financial crisis is spreading to Europe in countries including Germany.

"Oh, I've already pulled mine out,” said Joseph, who didn’t wish to disclose his last name. “I've already doubled my investment bid” he said.

But all hope isn't gone. Stock brokers said there are some stocks out there that may be safe in tough economic times.

"Pharmaceuticals,” said Ostic. “You'll always have to have take care of your health."

Ostic also said other investments that may be safe are mutual funds and oil.

One El Paso-based company, Helen of Troy, closed higher Monday. Some El Pasoans believe the market will bounce back.

“We’re not dead by any stretch of the imagination,” said Joseph. "We just need a quick aspirin, that’s all we need."

But no matter who you take your advice from, all agree investors should practice patience over panic.