Sell Block: Trading the Rate Cut

When the Federal Reserve changes its strategy, investors have to follow suit, Cramer said.

That’s why he was bullish on Wells Fargo , Bank of America and US Bancorp before Tuesday’s 50-basis-point rate cut, but now thinks Wachovia is the better trade.

If the Fed hadn’t taken such drastic action, the market never would have seen the 300-point jump it got earlier this week. The crisis would have continued. Then investors would have wanted banks with more diverse and deeper balance sheets, banks like WFC, BAC and USB that would have thrived no matter what, Cramer said.

But that’s not what happened. In a sense, the world changed after that rate cut. Now a beaten-up stock like Wachovia has a better chance of surging back to the black, which means its valuation will increase a lot more than the steadier Wells Fargo. And that should equal profits for investors.

So from a strict trader perspective, Cramer would recommend selling WFC, BAC and USB and buying Wachovia. That 5% yield is too good to ignore. Home Gamers, though, should probably stick with Wells Fargo, Bank of America and US Bancorp if they’re thinking longer term, Cramer said.

Questions for Cramer? [e-mail]

Questions, comments, suggestions for the Mad Money website? [e-mail]