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Cramer's 'Mad Money' Recap: Fight the Panic

TheStreet.com Staff

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One could say that Gisele Bundchen, New York Attorney General Andrew Cuomo and perhaps rapper Jay-Z played a role in today's market selloff, Jim Cramer told viewers of his "Mad Money" TV show Wednesday.

The currency markets were rattled when Bundchen, who was recently hired by Procter & Gamble (PG Quote) to endorse the company's Pantene hair product line, said she wanted to be paid in euros, Cramer said.

Her comments fell in line with a trend lately that has seen a 35% decline in the dollar in the past six years while the euro has appreciated.

Cuomo added to the spate of bad news when he subpoenaed home-loan financers Fannie Mae (FNM Quote) and Freddie Mac (FRE Quote) today in an effort to get information on mortgages they bought from Washington Mutual (WM Quote).

Cuomo is coming down on Washington Mutual, and his investigations might be making things worse for the mortgage market, according to Cramer. "There's only one way out of the mortgage morass," he said. "We need to see lower down payments." What people don't need is "overzealous regulators" trying to scare lenders out of lending.

Even Jay-Z has turned his back on the dollar, Cramer said. The music artist recently came out in a video flashing 500 euro bills in a money clip. "On one side we have Gisele and Jay-Z causing a panic with our currency," while Cuomo, on the other side, is probing the mortgage industry, said Cramer.

Don't panic and stick to the stocks that work, he advised.

Going Nuclear

It's time to take a look at NRG Energy (NRG Quote) because it pays to invest in pollution-reducing companies, Cramer said.

NRG, he said, wants to be a nuclear plant company. He said the company has applied for two new reactors in Texas, and they could go up in 2014 and 2015 if they are granted approval.

David Crane, president and CEO of NRG, joined Cramer on his show; he said the lowest marginal cost alternative is coal, partly because the carbon emissions from coal are free. However, he believes nuclear power eventually will be the significantly cheaper way to create energy. The added bonus with nuclear, Crane added, is that there are zero air emissions related to nuclear power.

The chief executive said NRG has been moving faster than other companies to get approval for their nuclear reactors.

Commenting on other energy plays, he said wind power, though it works in a high gas-price environment, is reaching a saturation point. He also said wind turbines come from Europe, and the cost for them is now is "killing" companies.

Herbalife CEO Defends Company

Herbalife (HLF Quote) reported a quarter that dreams are made of yesterday, but the stock is down on news that the company has been accused of conducting unethical business practices in China, Cramer said.

Also, the Securities and Exchange Commission is investigating the timing of securities trades made by a former employee.

However, in a TV interview with Cramer, CEO Michael Johnson said his company is confident that its business dealings in China have been OK. And if what they're doing is wrong, Johnson said they would fix it. "We're operating transparently," he said. "If the SEC is here nosing around, we're going to let people know about it."

Overseas, Johnson said, the company's nutrition club model has been "powerful." In Mexico and in the U.S., Herbalife is continuing to do well and in China, the company is growing through its direct sales model, he said.

Cramer said he doesn't believe the negative news is significant. "This is the way the game is played," he said. "You're going to get negative news."

Cramer said he believes in Johnson. If other people believe in Johnson as well then they should buy some Herbalife, he said.

Behind's Nastech's Big Slide

Nastech Pharmaceutical (NSTK Quote) was down nearly 40% today on news that its partnership with Procter & Gamble (PG Quote) on a nasal spray used to treat osteoporosis had been terminated.

Cramer called on CEO Dr. Steven Quay to make sense of this.

Quay said he received a notice of the termination. It was a timing issue, he said, and had to do with Nastech being unable to produce the amount of dosage Procter asked for.

When Cramer asked why anyone should be interested in the stock now, Quay said he believes Nastech has a lot of things going for it. The company, he said, is going to continue to do trials at higher doses. Also, Nastech expects to be in Phase II trials of its obesity and diabetes drugs by next year.

Although the stock was down $5 today, Cramer said panicking never made anyone a dime. "We have to wait and see."

Lightning Round

Cramer was bullish on Boston Beer (SAM Quote), Research In Motion (RIMM Quote), Monsanto (MON Quote), Deere (DE Quote), Potash (POT Quote) Bunge (BG Quote), Syngenta (SYT Quote), Mosaic (MOS Quote), Agrium (AGU Quote), XTO Energy (XTO Quote), Devon Energy (DVN Quote), Apache (APA Quote), Prudential (PRU Quote), Intel (INTC Quote), athenahealth (ATHN Quote) and UnitedHealth (UNH Quote).

Cramer was bearish on Delta Petroleum (DPTR Quote), Excel Maritime Carriers (EXM Quote), MetLife (MET Quote) and SanDisk (SNDK Quote).

Want more Cramer? Check out Jim's rules and commandments for investing from his latest book by clicking here.

For more of Cramer's insights during the Lightning Round, click here.