Jim Cramer sees many reasons not to own stocks right now, as many investors believe that the future of the U.S. will be much worse than the past.
"I am not making any kind of statement about the election in November. But I do think that the rancorous nature of the debate is putting a lid on stocks," the "Mad Money" host said.
The world of investing has transformed into one where a tweet by Sen. Bernie Sanders has the power take down the entire drug group. Investors simply don't want to own the stocks anymore.
They also don't want to own companies with international exposure when international trade is under the microscope from Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton wants to raise some taxes, Cramer said.
However, the political situation is only one of many issues plaguing stocks.
I think we have to wait for more certainty, more clarity, and less risk before we start buying into this weakness.Jim Cramer
Numbers from companies indicate weakness or lack of growth. The U.S. gross domestic product has been revised down multiple times, yet members of the Fed still call for rate hikes.
"Let's face it, there is something else at work in many sectors: too many companies," Cramer said.
The restaurant industry has too many small, fast casual start-ups, and McDonald's stock has taken a beating lately. Retail and technology are also feeling the pain from competition. With many fighting one another for business, investors now have to worry about them during earnings season.
Given how many reasons there are not to own stocks right now, Cramer wondered why the market isn't down even more. Stocks are still the best game in town with interest rates are so low, Cramer said.
"Rather than being a bountiful option, the stock market has become the lesser of two evils. The risk just seems too high versus the reward for so many stocks I follow. There seems to be only one cure for them: low prices," Cramer said.
Investors will only be enthusiastic when prices fall. The options are to wait for fundamentals to improve or for prices to get so cheap they are too low to ignore.
"I think we have to wait for more certainty, more clarity, and less risk before we start buying into this weakness," Cramer said.
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