Those Annoying Cyclical Rallies

They last for a day or two and then people come back to what they know and love.

Author:: Jim Cramer
Publish date:: Apr 14, 1999 12:41 PM EDT

Looks like we have one of those annoying cyclical rallies on our hands. You know the type. Let's go buy some

Reynolds Metals

(RLM) - Get Report

because

Alcoa's

(AA) - Get Report

up. Any

Phelps Dodge

(PD) - Get Report

for sale here? How about taking a shot at

Ingersoll

(IR) - Get Report

My experience with these cyclical rallies is that they last for a day or two and then people come back to what they know and love. I don't think this time will be any different. You had to be in these stocks

yesterday

if you were going to make any money.

Are they cheap? Of course. They are always cheap. Except when they blow up and miss the quarters. That, of course, is the problem. You get these ramps during earnings season when we discover that these companies are really alive and well. But then earnings season ends and it is back to

Schering-Plough

(SGP)

. This time will be no different.

James J. Cramer is manager of a hedge fund and co-founder of TheStreet.com. Under no circumstances does the information in this column represent a recommendation to buy or sell stocks. Cramer's writings provide insights into the dynamics of money management and are not a solicitation for transactions. While he cannot provide investment advice or recommendations, he invites you to comment on his column by sending an email to

letters@thestreet.com.