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TheStreet.com Power Stock Rankings: March 18

Patrick Schultz

1. Apple(AAPL Quote - Cramer on AAPL - Stock Picks): Although Apple shares might be held down short-term because of the financial morass we are in, don't forget that John Doerr from Kleiner Perkins said a couple of weeks ago that the iPhone opportunity is "bigger than the PC." I I demanded then and still beseech you now to burn what he said into your brain. -- BUY

2. Citigroup(C Quote - Cramer on C - Stock Picks): Do you get the same stomach-churning revulsion as I do when you type up the ticker of Citigroup? Ugh, what a mess. I am tempted to just throw in the towel and curse the dynamic duo of Prince and Pandit for the rest of my life. But, throughout the history of trading (both investing history and personally), that charming feeling of nausea has meant we are very close to a bottom. Let's take some Dramamine for our equity nausea and hang on for a choppy ride. -- BUY

3. Google(GOOG Quote - Cramer on GOOG - Stock Picks): Last week, we started with cautious buying at the $450 price level. And I remain a cautious buyer of Google as it is officially gets a value stock" label in my stock universe. Don't let the high absolute price fool you, GOOG now trades at 17x forward consensus estimates of $25. Cautiously buying is the name of the game. -- BUY

4. Bear Stearns: To call this stock a disaster would be the understatement of the year. With the stock trading over $170 in early 2007 and over $60 last Monday, it would have been unfathomable to think that BSC would agree to sell themselves in a "take under" acquisition for only $2 per share. Well, the rampage of bad mortgages and the demons of financial chicanery take no prisoners. Bear Stearns is the first big victim, and probably not the last. --- SELL

5. Goldman Sachs(GS Quote - Cramer on GS - Stock Picks): Last week, we said it was a "crucial juncture for the not-so-golden-lately child" of Wall Street, and it needed to be watched closely. Unfortunately, for bulls on GS, it did not take a turn in their favor. GS tested the August 2007 lows in the mid $150s, and failed miserably. Goldman is reporting earnings this week, and I would not make any trade until that report is digested. -- HOLD

6. Foster Wheeler(FWLT Quote - Cramer on FWLT - Stock Picks): This stock is trading like an ugly ne'er-do-well financial stock, but one small problem, it's not a financial stock. In fact, it's in the red-hot sector of global infrastructure and construction. Demand is intense for its services, and FWLT sits in the sweet spot of this secular trend. -- BUY

7. Chesapeake Energy(CHK Quote - Cramer on CHK - Stock Picks): The name of the game with buying CHK is betting and believing in chairman and CEO Aubrey McClendon. I have never seen such a voracious buyer of his own company's stock. Either he is absolutely crazy or one of the biggest wealth creators in stock market history. I am betting on the latter. -- BUY

8. Thornburg Mortgage: If Bear Stearns can implode as fast as it did, there is no way anybody can convince me to buy this stock. If you have an urge in throw yourself into a burning house, you can do the same and buy TMA. For everybody else, sell. -- SELL

9. Potash(POT Quote - Cramer on POT - Stock Picks): : One week later, and Potash still remains my top pick in the Ag sector. It's a very simple story as we have discussed many times -- as the rest of the world gets wealthier, they will inevitably eat more protein (beef, chicken, pork). It takes 8.3 grams of grains to make one gram equivalent of beef, and that means higher demand levels for feedstock grains. Use any market weakness created by the ugly financial jungle to buy this non-financial stock. -- BUY

10. Vale(RIO Quote - Cramer on RIO - Stock Picks): With all the bad news here in the U.S., why bother staying domestic? Why not go where there is growth, strong fiscal discipline and huge mineral reserves? Of course, I am talking about the Brazilian mineral and mining giant Vale. This company is in the heart of the new global environment. It trades at only 7.8x forward consensus numbers, so you have a large cushion of safety in any market weakness. -- BUY