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Cramer: Don't take Trump literally when it comes to stock picking

Cramer: Don't take Trump literally when it comes to stock picking
VIDEO12:1612:16
Cramer: Don't take Trump literally when it comes to stock picking

Jim Cramer says America just swore in its first pure business president, Donald Trump—and it now marks a brave new world for investors.

"We have been living with Trump's presidency in waiting for nearly three months and I can't think of a previous elected official who has given you more of a pro-growth game plan than Donald J. Trump," the "Mad Money" host said.

While the possibility of a wave of post-inaugural selling of Trump-related stocks did cross Cramer's mind, he quickly realized that it likely won't happen. If Trump is true to his word, then investors could miss out on the potential gains.

Therefore, ringing the register here could be a mistake, he said.

"You shouldn't take the President too literally when it comes to stock picking," Cramer said.





Buy American?

President Donald Trump delivers his inaugural address on the West Front of the U.S. Capitol on January 20, 2017, in Washington.
Getty Images

Since the passage of NAFTA, it has become almost ritual to fire American workers and buy non-American. Unless it becomes too impractical or too expensive to make goods overseas, Cramer found only a small amount of manufacturing companies that fit the "buy American, hire American" bill.

Businesses have moved jobs offshore to boost earnings, and those jobs are likely not coming back, Cramer said. The companies that ignored globalization were in fact gobbled up by more aggressive competitors, who then closed factories in the U.S. and moved them overseas.

Thus, the stocks that investors bought on Friday were the ones that fit into the narrow scope of Trump, like concrete, wood, plastics, agriculture and defense.

They also bought American service providers, like housing. However, if business accelerates because of Trump's policies, which means interest rates will go up. That will trigger housing and materials to do poorly because it is more expensive to get a mortgage.

If someone asked Cramer what industry President Barack Obama favored the most, he would say solar power. Meanwhile, the worst performer in the S&P 500 Index during Obama's tenure was First Solar, down 76 percent.

"Let's not get too narrowly focused on Trump's agenda," Cramer said.

Moving forward, Cramer will be focused on the biggest stock winners from Trump's trifecta of lower corporate taxes, deregulation and the repatriation of overseas funds. This will take time to pass though, which is why Cramer expects to see a honeymoon phase—and then transition into punishment.

"You should buy stocks into any non-earnings related sell-off and be glad you didn't panic out today because it turns out there was nothing to panic over," Cramer said.


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