"I am blaming it directly on the parlor game of international finance," he said with great frustration. That is, Cramer thinks there's a constituency on Wall Street that's playing a bit of a game; they've convinced themselves the 2013 rally can't endure and therefore they seek out negatives, then sell.
And there are big negatives to be found in China and Europe. "I am told by everyone I listen to, if China's banking system implodes all bets are off," Cramer said. "Others tell me that Europe could absolutely fall apart."
Cramer is absolutely kicking himself for listening.
He's come to realize that what matters much more is the health of the US recovery – and he thinks the recovery is relatively healthy. Therefore he thinks strong companies that do most of their business in the US should thrive.
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And in the case of Noodles & Company, Cramer thinks the stellar price action reflects that theme. "Noodles & Company is a fast-casual restaurant chain that specializes in all things noodles," Cramer explained. The company has some 343 locations across 26 states and Washington DC, a small company that's going from regional to national."
However, 'noise' in the market distracted him from those impressive fundamentals.
"I knew that Noodles may be the hottest concept out there because I have a noodle bar next to me," he said. "I knew about the New York Times article which profiled the trend of 'Newfangled Noodles'. And I knew the gents who started the joint had worked at Chipotle. But I didn't focus on Noodles because there was "too much going on" and I was too worried about the ten year."
Cramer considers developments a personal wake-up call. "Going forward, the international focus will be tamped and the U.S. focus ramped," he said. "You don't find a winner like Noodles by looking at what's happening in China. Had I been U.S. stock centric, I would be making a heck of a lot more money."
