Mad Money

Cramer Remix: The first stock people will drop in this sell-off

Key Points
  • "Mad Money" host Jim Cramer's revealing the first stock investors will be dropping if stocks keep falling.
  • Cramer also sits down with the CEO of Conagra to hear about millennial buyers.
  • In the lightning round, Cramer clears up confusion around the stock of Manitowoc.
Cramer Remix: The first stock people will drop in this sell-off
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Cramer Remix: The first stock people will drop in this sell-off

In a strategy session with callers after the Dow Jones industrial average's several-hundred-point decline, CNBC's Jim Cramer went bullish on the stock of e-commerce colossus Amazon.

"My charitable trust has been buying Amazon. This is a great opportunity to buy it," the "Mad Money" host said on Thursday.

Cramer added that he believed Amazon would remain unaffected by the decline, which was largely spurred by President Donald Trump's plan to slap tariffs on steel and aluminum imports.

Apple, however, was a different story. Cramer warned callers that shares of Apple would likely fall under pressure because the iPhone maker "does big business in China."

"I say wait a few days, let all these traders flip out and we can start buying it again for those who aren't in it," the "Mad Money" host recommended.

Apple's stock took a 1.8 percent hit on Thursday, closing the day at $175 a share.

Tariff worries: Justified or overblown?

Steel rolls at the US Steel Works in Gary Indiana.
Justin Solomon | CNBC

After President Donald Trump announced his plan to place tariffs on steel and aluminum imports and markets plunged in response, Cramer knew he had to cut through the noise.

"We need to approach these trade sanctions, ones that will impact multiple so-called trading partners, in two ways. First, I'll put on my Cassandra hat to ... spell out the worst-case scenario," Cramer said. "Then I'll tell you my feelings, my thoughts, on why these tariffs may not be the end of the world as we know it."

Scores of Wall Street investors bought into the worst-case scenario on Thursday, sending the Dow down more than 550 points intraday after Trump's announcement.

Their main reasons for panic were that the Chinese government could retaliate with its own tariffs on U.S. goods; that steel and aluminum prices would rise, causing a ripple of inflation; and that Trump's move would spur a full-blown trade war, slowing the economy and potentially even sparking a recession or depression.

But Cramer argued that the best-case scenario was far more likely.

Don't be fooled by retail REITs

People walk by empty retail space in lower Manhattan in New York City.
Getty Images

On a rough day for the stock market, Cramer noticed one stock group trading surprisingly well: retail-focused REITs, or real estate investment trusts.

Retail REITs became some of 2017's worst-performing equities as the underlying companies fell under pressure amid waves of store closings. But their stocks weathered Thursday's drop.

"I feel compelled to come out here tonight and tell you ... that you should not be misled by this rally," the "Mad Money" host said Thursday. "You need to be able to tell the difference between a sustainable rally and a brief bounce on the way down."

"The mall-based real estate investment trusts are simply not the kind of stocks you want to own in this environment and you need to use any strength, even relative strength like you're getting at this particular opportunity, to start selling them," Cramer said.

Salesforce's secret sauce

Finally, Cramer reflected on Salesforce.com's monster earnings report. Like most of the analysts covering the stock, Cramer was shocked at the cloud giant's growth, which resembled the kind of growth more often seen at very small companies.

But after his Wednesday interview with Salesforce founder, Chairman and CEO Marc Benioff, the "Mad Money" host honed in on Salesforce's secret: building trust.

"In a moment where, for example, the financials can focus on innovation, not just regulation, they need someone to help them. But banks historically trust no one," he said.

"Salesforce is upending that whole obnoxious paradigm by teaching these companies they've got to be better at what they do," he continued. "They make it clear that the executives need to trust someone, so they trust Salesforce to do the job. That's the real secret."

Conagra CEO: Chasing younger customers

When Conagra President and CEO Sean Connolly took the helm of the packaged food company, he said to himself, "Let's not waste a good crisis."

In a Thursday interview with Cramer, Connolly walked the "Mad Money" host through the company's transformation, which included re-tooling its products to better serve young customers.

"It's the first generation that is making less money than their parents, so we've got to give them a super-convenient solution, but we can't compromise on the quality of the food. They're very picky," Connolly said of the younger generation. "And we're trying to give them the modern attributes they're looking for, so we've taken a dusty old frozen business, we've infused it with modern attributes and Jim, we got it growing again driven by millennials."

Connolly also stressed the importance of sustainable packaging. Millennials like the microwave, but they don't like microwaving food, even frozen food, in plastic containers, the CEO said.

"We've got these proprietary plant-based bowls," Connolly told Cramer. "They're recyclable, they go in the microwave, they come out, they look good. It looks like butcher paper. Our consumers love it and they're buying more of it and really that's what's fueling our growth so far."

Lightning round: Mixed messages on MTW

In Cramer's lightning round, he zoomed through his take on callers' favorite stocks:

Manitowoc Company: "Manitowoc has come down almost 30 percent. I think that's wrong. I think this is a decent level to start buying."

Radius Health: "We've got stocks like Bristol-Myers that are down so much. I'd rather be in that one."

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