Cramer's 'Mad Money' Recap: March 23

This article was originally published March 23.

Click here for an archive of Jim Cramer's Mad Money recaps.

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"How can you tell if this rally is for real? You look at its pieces," Jim Cramer told the viewers of the "Mad Money" TV Show Monday.

He said that the best way to evaluate any rally is to examine the stocks that are powering it.

Cramer said it was clear that today's monster move in the markets was fueled by the realization that the government's plans may be more coordinated than previously thought by the president, Federal Reserve, Treasury and FDIC.

But stocks are at the core of any rally, said Cramer, and the top 10 biggest percent gainers in the S&P500 tell a great story.

Cramer said both Exxon-Mobil (XOM Quote) and Chevron (CVX Quote), a stock which he owns for his charitable trust, Action Alerts PLUS, told the story in the oil patch and confirmed that the rise in crude oil prices is for real.

In the financial sector, Cramer said JPMorgan Chase (JPM Quote), Wells Fargo (WFC Quote) and Bank Of America (BAC Quote) all showed tremendous strength, with JP Morgan and Wells Fargo both posting 24% gains today.

In technology, Cramer said the moves in Microsoft (MSFT Quote) and IBM (IBM Quote) show the rally is tech is broadening.

And the gains in General Electric (GE Quote) and AT&T (T Quote) show strength in broader economy as well.

Finally, Cramer said Procter & Gamble's (PG Quote) shares, which should be trending lower at the bottom of the economic cycle, are gaining as well, signaling that people are actually willing to pay up for the stock.

All of these signs, said Cramer, point to a notable rally and one that could continue if the government continues the flurry of good news.