Jim Cramer's Portfolios of the Week
By Roberto Pedone
WINDERMERE (
) -- According to Jim Cramer, America is the worst place to invest --
except for the rest of the world
. On Wednesday's "Mad Money" TV show, Cramer told viewers to stop thinking so narrowly about investing in the U.S., because the U.S. may be bad, but it's not nearly the worst.
Cramer pointed out that China has problems because investors are worried their economy is slowing down and that soon their asset bubble will burst. Even famed short-seller James Chanos is calling the country one of the greatest shorts on earth. Japan, Cramer said, is a no-growth economy that will stay no-growth. Australia has been strong, but it depends on China for exports, and India is fraught with hyper-inflation.
Cramer said he doesn't see much opportunity in Mexico or the Middle East, either. He also mentioned he doesn't like Europe. He quoted a research report that compared the currencies of Indonesia in 2006, Argentina in 2000, Mexico in 1994 and Russia in 1999, all of which caused big market selloffs, to the euro of today, as Greece and others are strapped with gigantic debt problems.
With all of this in mind, Cramer said that leaves investors with only one choice: the good ol' U.S. He explained that foreign investors are pouring money into our markets because they love the gridlock in Washington. They love that Obama wants to push health-care reform through, even if it means big losses for his own party. They love the potential of a pro-business Republican comeback that it all but guarantees come November.
"The U.S. is the last man standing," Cramer said, "and while that's a crummy Bruce Willis movie, it's a great thesis for the next leg of the bull market."
Recently, Cramer found opportunity in rig stocks, tech stocks and china-related stocks. Here are some Cramer highlights from over the past week as aggregated from his "Mad Money" TV show, the "Stop Trading!" segment on
CNBC
and his
RealMoney
blog posts (these blog post require a
RealMoney
subscription).
Cramer's Stocks-Obama-Hates ETF
: Cramer thinks the market needs a "Stocks Obama Hates" ETF. In a
, he wrote: "We can go short it every time we know he is going to come on TV, which he does quite regularly. And then we cover and go long it when he's over, because he can't keep a stock down to save his life anymore." The
Cramer's Stocks-Obama-Hates ETF
portfolio includes
Bank of America
(BAC) - Get Report
and
Cigna
(CI) - Get Report
.
: Cramer thinks investors need to watch the rig stocks. In a
, he wrote: "When I got into this business, we all used to huddle around the machine on Fridays to see the rig count. It's been 28 years since then. Maybe it's time to start doing it again." The
portfolio includes
Halliburton
(HAL) - Get Report
and
Weatherford
(WFT) - Get Report
.
Cramer's Roundup-of-the-Rally Stocks
: Recently, Cramer highlighted a number of stocks that are rallying, despite the thinking among many that they shouldn't be. In a
, he wrote: "Housing is moving --
Lennar
(LEN) - Get Report
is the cheapest and most connected, and
MDC Holdings
(MDC) - Get Report
is the best in show." The
Cramer's Roundup-of-the-Rally Stocks
portfolio includes
Marathon Oil
(MRO) - Get Report
and
Agnico-Eagle Mines
(AEM) - Get Report
.
Cramer's Super Cheap Tech Stocks
: Are technology stocks cheap right now? Cramer thinks so. On
, Cramer said that with pin action totally lacking in technology, there's never been a better time to buy tech stocks. He mentioned that he's never seen tech stocks this cheap. The
Cramer's Super Cheap Tech Stocks
portfolio includes
Apple
(AAPL) - Get Report
and
Intel
(INTC) - Get Report
.
Cramer's China-Weakness-That-Wasn't Stocks
: Cramer believes that investors are mistaken if they think China is in an economic slowdown. In a
, he wrote: "All of these derivative plays are killing you today because, in reality, the Chinese 'slowdown' isn't much of a slowdown at all." The
Cramer's China-Weakness-That-Wasn't Stocks
portfolio includes
Peabody Energy
(BTU) - Get Report
and
Mosiac
(MOS) - Get Report
.
: Cramer is worried about the retail sector. In a
, he wrote: "Why not take something off the table in this red hot group? The gains are amazing. I was in awe of the rally, yesterday. But now, I am beginning to wonder if it wasn't just a squeeze." The
portfolio includes
Macy's
(M) - Get Report
and
Staples
(SPLS)
.
-- Written by Roberto Pedone in Windermere, Fla.
(Editor's note: At the time of publication, Cramer owned Intel, Apple, Marathon Oil, Weatherford and Bank of America for his Action Alerts PLUS charitable trust.)
RELATED LINKS:
>>"Fast Money" Portfolios of the Week
>>Cramer's "Lightning Round" Portfolio
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