Mad Money

Cramer Remix: Forget the stocks caught in the trade war crossfire

Key Points
  • "I like companies that I think will do well" whether the U.S. and China agree on a trade deal or not, CNBC's Jim Cramer says.
  • "Maybe take a look at Nike. Big, big in China. Stock's going down. I think it reports a good quarter," the "Mad Money" host says.
  • He says the trade dispute is more than just about the trade deficit: "It's about the trust gap."
Cramer Remix: Forget the stocks caught in the trade war crossfire
VIDEO1:1001:10
Cramer Remix: Forget the stocks caught in the trade war crossfire

CNBC's Jim Cramer on Wednesday told a caller he likes to look for stocks that will perform well despite the ongoing trade discussions between the United States and China.

"I like companies that I think will do well either way," the "Mad Money" host said. "Maybe take a look at Nike. Big, big in China. Stock's going down. I think it reports a good quarter."

Trust issues

(R-L) Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross, U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer and other Trump Administration officials sit down with Chinese Vice Premier Liu He (L), Central Bank Governor Yi Gang (2nd L) and other Chinese vice ministers and senior officials for negotiations in the Diplomatic Room at the Eisenhower Executive Office Building January 30, 2019 in Washington, DC.
Chip Somodevilla | Getty Images

Trade negotiations between the United States and China have boiled down to whether President Donald Trump can trust the Chinese or not, Cramer said.

And history is playing a huge role in the discussion.

"It's not about the trade gap, people. It's about the trust gap," the host said. "Until investors realize that's what's driving these negotiations, we'll forever be playing this game of 'deal or no deal,' and the market will get hammered every time people realize that we're a long way from reaching a big kind of deal with any kind of accommodation with China."

The U.S. goods deficit with China rose nearly 13 percent to $79.5 billion in December.

Get Cramer's full insight here

Caring for pets

Cord Christensen, CEO, PetIQ
Scott Mlyn | CNBC

PetIQ, which makes health and wellness products for dogs and cats, is necessary because 50 percent of pets in America don't have health care, CEO Cord Christensen told Cramer. The company educates pet owners to address concerns about cost and convenience, he said.

"As we continue to provide access and education, we just think we can continue to close that gap and, ultimately, end up with healthier pets, they'll live a lot longer, they provide you that joy that you're looking for and why you're really making that pet a member of your family," Christensen said.

Watch the discussion here

Muting Musk

Tesla Chief Executive Elon Musk stands on the podium as he attends a forum on startups in Hong Kong, China.
Bobby Yip | Reuters

Cramer said he thinks a federal judge should put a "special master" on Tesla's board of directors to make CEO Elon Musk comply with a court-approved deal between him and the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Musk has been under pressure for his practice of relaying important business information about Tesla through Twitter.

"At this stage, I think a special master would be a win for shareholders. Everything else, a loss," the "Mad Money" host said.

"However, it's not Judge Nathan's job to protect Tesla's stock, it's her job to protect the justice system," he said referring to U.S. District Judge Alison Nathan who is overseeing the settlement case between Tesla and the SEC.

Cramer said he doesn't know how Musk, who he called a genius, can weasel his way out of this predicament.

Read more here

Healthier mothers

Jeff Jonas, CEO of Sage Therapeutics.
Adam Jeffery | CNBC

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has approved Zulresso, the first postpartum depression drug. The product was developed by Sage Therapeutics. CEO Jeff Jonas told Cramer that the condition is the most common medical complication of pregnancy and that suicide is the leading cause of death for women after pregnancy.

"If you think about the standard of care today, you're talking about standard antidepressants, which can take weeks to work, or psycho therapy," he said. "Despite that fact, there has never been an approved therapy specifically for postpartum depression, which is what Zulresso is targeting."

Catch the full interview here

Technology for saving and investing

Packages containing a Green Dot Corp. prepaid Mastercard Inc. debit card and Visa Inc. debit card, left, are arranged for a photograph in Washington, D.C., U.S., on Thursday, Feb. 15, 2018.
Andrew Harrer | Bloomberg | Getty Images

Cramer brought on Green Dot CEO Steven Streit and Stash CEO Brandon Krieg to learn how the respective public and private companies are working together to put more money in users' pockets by spending money at places such as Chipotle, McDonald's, or the local deli.

"You take your Stash debit card, you put it in the machine, you pay, and immediately you get stock," said Krieg, who heads the financial technology app. "The point is to make investing automatic as you live your life."

Find out how the firms are partnering here

Cramer's lightning round: A 'great' cloud strategy

Splunk Inc.: "I love Splunk. Splunk's one of my cloud kings. I mean, they're doing a fantastic job. [CEO] Douglas Merritt is dynamite. This is the way you'll be able to have a great cloud strategy. You need them to be able to mine the cloud data.

Cisco Systems Inc.: "I think Cisco is terrific. I think that the price of DRAMs has fallen. We listened to Micron tonight. They're trying to hold the line on prices. But most importantly, it's going to become a software-defined network play. With security, it's no longer just hardware. Even up here." Buy.

Nokia Corp.: "No. Look. There was a nice downgrade today — nice downgrade, it's not nice if you own it — I just think that Nokia is O.K. O.K.?"

Disclosure: Cramer's charitable trust owns shares of Cisco.

Questions for Cramer?
Call Cramer: 1-800-743-CNBC

Want to take a deep dive into Cramer's world? Hit him up!
Mad Money Twitter - Jim Cramer Twitter - Facebook - Instagram

Questions, comments, suggestions for the "Mad Money" website? madcap@cnbc.com