Cramer's 'Mad Money' Recap: Play Wacky Data With Diversification (Final)

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NEW YORK (TheStreet) -- What's up with this yoyo market? Why are things so confusing? Why are we stuck at this level? These are just a few of the questions Jim Cramer answered for the viewers of his "Mad Money" TV show Wednesday. He said with all of the conflicting market data out there, it's not hard to see why you can make a case for both the bulls and the the bears.

Case in point, Cramer's gameplan from last Friday, during which he said for a good read on the consumer, investors need to watch Nike (NKE Quote) and Darden Restaurants (DRI Quote). But while Nike reported a great number, with future orders on the rise, Darden reported an in-line number, with less-than-stellar guidance.

Cramer said this confusing pattern is playing out all over the markets. Housing inventory, for example, is down, and that's a good thing. But everyone is focused on foreclosures and the expiring new-home buyer tax credit, and that's a bad thing. Likewise with retail, said Cramer, some are booming, some aren't. Obama's health care reforms... in limbo. IPOs and mergers and acquisitions are heating up, but the rest of the market is stagnating. Asia's economy is recovering, the U.S. economy is still floundering.

How should investors play this confusing period? Cramer said with diversification. For his charitable trust, Action Alerts PLUS, Cramer said he bought both Home Deport (HD Quote) and Altria (MO Quote) to play both sides of the bull/bear debate.