Fear is rampant right now in the financial markets.

The COVID-19 pandemic is spreading rapidly across the world. The disease caused by the novel coronavirus has infected more than 1 million people and resulted in over 55,000 deaths.Government leaders are ordering people to stay home to slow the spread of the disease. While necessary to save lives, these measures are likely to plunge the global economy into a brutal recession. Financial markets have plummeted in response. It's a bad situation out there.

And yet, there are also opportunities.

Companies helping to fight COVID-19 stand to benefit financially from their efforts. And the drop in stock prices means potential profits for new investors and those who add to their positions in various companies. Moreover, trillions of dollars of government-backed stimulus measures are aimed at helping to stabilize the economy and eventually get it back on track for sustained growth.

Investing during these tumultuous times certainly isn't easy, but it can be highly profitable. If you're looking to invest $1,000 right now, the following exchange-traded funds (ETFs) can help you do so.

Looking to invest? Then check out these funds. Image source: Getty Images.

Vanguard Total Stock Market(NYSEMKT:VTI)is an excellent way to gain broadly diversified exposure to essentially the entire U.S. stock market. It provides quick, convenient, and low-cost access to more than 3,500 large-, mid-, and small-capitalization stocks. Major holdings include Microsoft, Apple, and Amazon, among other titans of U.S. industry. Importantly, the ETF has an ultra-low expense ratio of 0.03%, meaning that nearly all of the fund's returns will go to you rather than its management team.

The Vanguard Total Stock MarketETF is a great way to profit from an eventual rebound in the U.S. economy. You can buy shares now and likely do well over the long term. Or, if you're worried about further downside in the stock market, you can buy small amounts of the fund over regular intervals. This strategy is known as dollar-cost averaging, and it's a proven way to buy more shares when prices are low and fewer shares when prices are high. Doing so can help you reduce your risk and potentially allow you to get a lower cost basis -- and therefore higher profits -- on your investments.

Nations are using different approaches to combat COVID-19. This could result in countries finding varying levels of success with containing the coronavirus pandemic. Their economies, in turn, could recover at different speeds.

A superb way to further diversify your investment risk and potentially profit handsomely from economic recoveries in international markets is the Schwab International Equity ETF (NYSEMKT:SCHF). The fund can help you gain exposure to more than 1,500 stocks in developed markets around the world. Countries such as Japan, the United Kingdom, and France are well represented within the ETF's portfolio, and major holdings include international heavyweights like Nestle, Roche, and Samsung Electronics. Better still, the fund has a low expense fee of 0.06%.

Together, the Vanguard Total Stock MarketETF and the Schwab International Equity ETF can help you quickly and easily position yourself to profit from a long-term recovery in the global stock markets.

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Coronavirus Market Crash: Where to Invest $1,000 Right Now - The Motley Fool