Jim Cramer: Economy Set for a Long-Term Bull Run

If you have a sense that retail investing is making a comeback, you’re not alone.

“Right now I’m seeing a lot of things in this market that remind me of what this business was like when I got into it 30 years ago, right about the time when the great bull market began,” Jim Cramer said Wednesday.

The “Mad Money” host said that was the moment individual investors began to realize that the market was worth a look again, which it was.

This time, the signs are all around, he said.

People are lining up to pay more than $600 for an AppleiPad, eating at Panera and crowding Bed Bath & Beyond. They’re buying Lululemon yoga gear, sprucing up their homes with Home Depot supplies and searching for everything under the sun via Google.

Just like in the early 1980s, when investors made money by watching what was popular: Nike, Gap and Merck, to name a few.

“That’s the way it worked,” Cramer said. “And I think it’s happening again.”

Of course, it’s still necessary to do the requisite homework and check any company’s financials before investing.

Cramer also suggested making sure the timing in any investment is right – that is, the stock hasn’t topped out and still has room to grow. If you don’t know, maybe it’s best to stay away.

Lastly, never buy all at once. Buying on a dip remains a good idea. So is holding off on a spike.

But Cramer agreed that economic activity is indeed picking up and it might be time to move out of bonds and into stocks.

“Just be sure that the stock you buy to place your bet on America is one that’s a real company, with real prospects, and a real history,” he said.

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