Talking on Squawk: Part 3 By James J. Cramer 6/5/01 6:17 PM ET

Click here for the latest from James J. Cramer.

Editor's note: This is the third and final installment of a three-part article. Be sure to read Part 1 and Part 2.

Next up on CNBC's "Squawk Box" was a CEO interview with Art Collins of Medtronic (MDT:Nasdaq - news - boards). The company reported a shortfall that morning and was being downgraded as we interviewed Collins. He impressed me as total stand-up guy. He had only been on the job a few weeks and he answered my questions, many of which were about the perplexing slowdown in defibrillator sales, with deft and firm responses. I liked this guy immediately. It always helps that he was in the studio. I don't know why these public relations people don't explain to execs how important it is to be in the same room as the hosts. It really helps them and us. I left the interview thinking that Collins isn't going to rest until he restores growth, and a week later he made some important acquisitions.

We then had another CEO interview with Bill Van Dyke from Donaldson (DCI:NYSE - news - boards). This company is another one of those sleepy companies with consistent earnings that got lost in the lust for tech. I used the interview to get a sense of macro trends because Donaldson makes key truck parts, and truck orders are early signs of economic pick-up. Van Dyke wouldn't say that things are picking up, but he did say he thought we had bottomed. This is an interesting story that had run up because of the Fed rate cuts. Seemed a tad vulnerable.

After Donaldson, Stephen Bennett from Intuit (INTU:Nasdaq - news - boards) was on. I thought that Intuit's stock had been unfairly hammered because of the shortfall and I was trying to find out from Bennett why that was. The shellacking this stock took seemed too great to me, given the small magnitude of the shortfall.

Bennett seemed relieved that I asked that question and that I noticed the buyback, but now it's 10 days later and the stock is still sucking wind. Intuit has a credibility gap with the Street and it will take a bit of time passing before people warm up to the story again.

Finally, we had an CEO interview with Jen-Hsun Huang at Nvidia (NVDA:Nasdaq - news - boards). This was one of those stories where the shorts would not have liked my style, but I can't help myself. Nvidia has been a terrific stock and I figured people are more interested in knowing why the market loves it than why people should sell or short it. I was, in many ways, an abettor of this stock, but I believe in companies that reward shareholders -- and this one sure has. Of course, we worked in some discussion of the competition, which is Intel (INTC:Nasdaq - news - boards) but, frankly, I just don't know how much competition Nvidia really faces.

I should have asked about the backup in Taiwan motherboards, or about the renewed competition from STMicroelectronics (STM:NYSE - news - boards) or about how there is too much concentration in top customers. But I didn't, and I can't kick myself any more than I have.

Next thing you know, it is 10 a.m. and the show is over. It always goes by like lightening. I am always thinking about all of the things I should have asked and the points I should have made. I am always thinking of things I should have thrown to David Faber or Joe Kernen, both of whom I love to banter with about ways to make money. It is three of the most exciting hours that I go through and I always wish it were four or five or even six hours, because you can learn that much and make so much money with the show.

There it is. Another cycle beckons. Starts tonight. Can't wait. See ya on Squawk in the morning!!

Random musings: Our new Action Alert PLUS service is still getting raves. Get the rationale behind and the timing of my buys sent to your email boxes before I pull the trigger. Click here to sign up.

Send letters to the editor to letters@realmoney.com.
Read our conflicts and disclosure policy.
Order reprints of RealMoney.com articles.	Top
Research Now on CSFBdirect DCI INTU MDT NVDA Get a FREE Handspring™ Visor™ from CSFBdirect.

RELATED STORIES
	James J. Cramer Cisco Is Poised to Steal Market Share 6/5/01 4:46 PM ET JJC thinks Lucent, Nortel and Cisco are devolving into an oligarchy controlled by Cisco. James J. Cramer Talking on Squawk: Part 2 6/5/01 4:09 PM ET Lights, camera, Cramer! JJC tells all about his last appearence on "Squawk Box." James J. Cramer This Is Not a Sprint 6/5/01 3:33 PM ET It's a marathon, and Cramer is playing for performance over time.

ONLINE INVESTING Get a FREE Handspring™ Visor™ from CSFBdirect. CREDIT CARD NextCard Visa APRs as low as 2.99% Intro! Click NOW to apply BANKING Get a $50 bonus from NetBank.