Jim Cramer's 'Mad Money' Recap: Be Positive, Don't Be Complacent
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NEW YORK (
) -- Recognize the positives but don't get complacent. That was Jim Cramer's advice to his
viewers Thursday as he celebrated his
of the show in front of a live studio audience.
Overall, today's markets were sailing along quite well in a sea of worldwide uncertainty, with stocks continuing to trade with currencies and not corporate news as they should. The markets were bolstered by a one-day rise in the euro as well as weaker than expected February retail sales, which was seen as reason for the Federal Reserve to hold off on any interest rate hikes for the near term.
Just how important is the Fed to the stock market? Cramer estimated we could see a swift 5% to 7% decline if the Fed were to do the wrong thing and raise rates today. Fortunately, there is hope among many that the Fed of today is not the "they know nothing" Fed Cramer screamed about in 2007.
So while there were disappointments today, like the nasty pre from Intel (INTC) - Get Report, there were also positives, such as the 4% rise in Walt Disney (DIS) - Get Report after the company had many encouraging things to say at the company's annual shareholder meeting.
Mad Money's Bottom Line
What's the "bottom line" after 10 years of Mad Money? Same as it's always been, Cramer told viewers: to teach, coach, educate and, yes, entertain to help everyone become a better investor.
Mad Money aims to level the playing field for all investors. It's not about picking stocks for you, it's about empowering you to think for yourself, to ask the right questions of your broker or to give you the confidence to invest all on your own, Cramer asserted.
Mad Money stands up for those who do it right, those who create value for shareholders, and it's not afraid to shame those who get it wrong and destroy value.
Cramer said his bottom line is he continues to come out every night to serve you any way he can.
Executive Decision: Jim McNerney
For his exclusive "Executive Decision" segment, Cramer sat down with Jim McNerney, chairman and CEO of Boeing (BA) - Get Report, a stock that's up 17% so far this year.
McNerney said if your business doesn't have a long-term plan, you lose. That's why Boeing has a 20-year perspective on the market, investing in its people, its processes and its customers for the long term.
Only about one fifth the cost of plane is buying it, McNerney continued. The other four-fifths is living with it for the next 20 years. That's why airlines aren't batting an eye when it comes to buying the very latest fuel-efficient planes. Boeing has doubled its production over the past five years to meet demand and the company plans to grow another 30% over the next four years.
Boeing is about a lot more than just planes, however, and Boeing's history as a steward of democracy was not lost on McNerney. That's part of the reason Cramer reveres Boeing as one of the great American companies of all time.
Executive Decision: Monty Moran
In his second exclusive "Executive Decision" segment, Cramer spoke with Monty Moran, co-CEO of Chipotle Mexican Grill (CMG) - Get Report, a stock that's defied gravity, rising 2,900% during the nine years since its initial public offering.
It's not just food that makes Chipotle successful, it's also the people, Moran told Cramer. That's why 90% of Chipotle's general managers are promoted from within and why everyone on their crews are proud of their team and of the food they are serving. Everyone at Chipotle wants to change the food culture in America.
Moran said it was an easy decision to suspend a pork supplier recently when it was discovered that the company wasn't living up to Chipotle's standards. Those standards include not just the quality of the food, but also animal welfare and environmental stewardship. The decision was costly for Chipotle, Moran added, but it was the right thing to do and Chipotle's customers deserve a brand they can trust.
Finally, when asked about other restaurant chains jumping on the antibiotic-free bandwagon, Moran said it's a great start and he encourages every chain to follow his company's lead.
This is the right stock at the right time, Cramer concluded.
Lightning Round
In the Lightning Round, Cramer was bullish on Regeneron Pharmaceuticals (REGN) - Get Report, LAM Research (LRCX) - Get Report, Mastercard (MA) - Get Report, Seattle Genetics (SGEN) - Get Report, BioMarin (BMRN) - Get Report and Isis Pharmaceuticals (ISIS) .
Cramer was bearish on Novavax (NVAX) - Get Report.
Tim Cook Calling
Cramer received a surprise phone call from
Apple
(AAPL) - Get Report
CEO Tim Cook, who congratulated him on 10 years of bringing Wall Street to America's individual investors.
Cook highlighted a number of recent innovations at the Action Alerts PLUS holding, including ResearchKit, Apple's foray into helping the medical research community. Since ResearchKit debuted earlier this week, over 11,000 participants have signed on for a cardiovascular study at Stanford University, something that would have previously taken 50 medical centers a year to accomplish.
Cook also touted Apple Pay, which now has over 700,000 locations accepting the next-generation payment system.
As for Apple's stock, Cook noted that when Mad Money went on the air 10 years ago, shares of Apple cost less than $6 on a split-adjusted basis. Yet, even with all its successes, Cook said that everyone at Apple remains hungry to deliver the best products.
To watch replays of Cramer's video segments, visit the Mad Money page on CNBC.
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At the time of publication, Cramer's Action Alerts PLUS had a position in AAPL andMA.