Raphael Stevens

Monday – Friday, 6:00 – 7:00 PM ET

It’s that time again! “Mad Money” host Jim Cramer rings the lightning round bell, which means he’s giving his answers to callers’ stock questions at rapid speed.

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Illumina: “Illumina is great, not just because [CNBC contributor Dr. Scott Gottlieb] is on the board. They’ve got unbelievable technology, and I love the diagnostic business. Buy Illumina.”

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Atai Life Sciences NV: “This is one that’s down so low that’s it’s now just a terrific spec, frankly. You don’t know, it’s a roll of the dice, but it’s spec and I would not sell it down here. $6, I’d be a buyer.”

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Riskified: “No, no. It IPO’d in July. That’s just an invitation to be [crushed like shares of Peloton have recently been]. If you want that security, buy NortonLifeLock. We own it for the [CNBC Investing Club] and it’s closing on a very big deal. I think that’s the one to be in.”

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Doximity: “Well, I was right for awhile. Now I’ve been wrong. I think doctors love it. Ask your doctor. They’re going to swear by it. This is not Teladoc by the way, which has been completely [crushed like shares of Peloton have recently been], if not toasted. I think that DOCS is good, but like I said, I’ve been wrong. I think it’s an indispensable product, and they make money, which to me says good growth.”

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Enterprise Products Partners: “I like EPD. You’ve got a good dividend. You’ve got growing volumes now. You’ve got solid management, yields 7.8% [at roughly $22 per share]. That is a winner. I wish [co-CEO] Jim Teague would come on. It would be great.”

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CNH Industrial: “I like that one very, very much. Anything [agriculture,] you know I like Deere. I yours too. I also like AGCO. I think that’s a winner.”

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SoFi Technologies: “Well maybe what happened … is it should never have been up there. And by the way, somebody did an unbelievable secondary and got the hell out of that thing at a really good price. I’d actually like to know more about the secondary than I would about the stock.”

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Monday – Friday, 6:00 – 7:00 PM ET

“The charts, as interpreted by the legendary Larry Williams, suggest that inflation might cool down faster than most money managers anticipate,” CNBC’s Jim Cramer said.
The “Mad Money” host explained that it could mean the stock market surpasses performance expectations.

Longtime technician Larry Williams believes the stock market may have a stronger 2022 than many Wall Street forecasts, CNBC’s Jim Cramer said Wednesday.
“The charts, as interpreted by the legendary Larry Williams, suggest that inflation might cool down faster than most money managers anticipate, which would mean that 2022 … could be a much better year for the market than we’re expecting,” Cramer said.

The “Mad Money” host said that Williams, who frequently uses historical data to create cycle forecasts, believes that inflationary pressures in the U.S. “should already be peaking.” While Cramer cautioned that Williams’ cycle forecast for the Consumer Precise Index isn’t a precise timing tool, he said it’s worth considering.

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Technician Larry Williams’ cycle forecast for the Consumer Price Index from 2010 to present.
Mad Money with Jim Cramer

“In his view, [the first quarter] should be really last really bad quarter for inflation,” Cramer said. If Williams is correct, Cramer said there will be implications for the stock market because it may mean the Federal Reserve does not need to tighten monetary policy as aggressively as expected.
“That’s not the only reason Williams is bullish on stocks in 2022,” Cramer stressed. Another reason for Williams’ positive outlook can be found in the decennial pattern, which refers to average market returns based on the last digit in a particular year.
Looking at the average of years ending in “1” compared to the Dow Jones Industrial Average’s actual trading in 2021 proved to be a “pretty helpful guide” last year, Cramer said. “You have to ignore the magnitude and just look at the direction of the moves,” he said.

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The Dow’s average return in years that end in “1” compared with the Dow’s 2021 performance.
Mad Money with Jim Cramer

Williams finds that the decennial pattern for years ending in “2” indicates 2022 could be a pretty choppy year for the Dow, according to Cramer. In particular, there’s been a “substantial low” expected to hit stocks in June or July, he said.

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The Dow’s average returns in years that end in “2,” according to technician Larry Williams.
Mad Money with Jim Cramer

“Then you tend to get another terrific buying opportunity around September, with the market tending to take off in the fourth quarter,” Cramer said. “Williams also points out that, historically, in years ending in the number ‘2,’ you want to buy into any major sell-off” because usually the market has a solid year, Cramer added.
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Disclaimer

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Private equity investor Tom Barrack will go on trial with a business associate in September on charges of illegally lobbying former President Donald Trump on behalf of the United Arab Emirates.
Barrack is a close friend of Trump.
He stepped down as CEO of Colony Capital in 2020.

Tom Barrack Jr., founder of Colony Capital Inc., right, arrives at criminal court in New York, U.S., on Monday, July 26, 2021.
Mark Kauzlarich | Bloomberg | Getty Images

Private equity investor Tom Barrack will go on trial with a business associate in September on charges of illegally lobbying former President Donald Trump, his close friend, on behalf of the United Arab Emirates, a federal judge said Wednesday.
The trial of Barrack and his associate Matthew Grimes will take place in U.S. District Court in Brooklyn, N.Y.

Jury selection was set for Sept. 7. The trial could start as early as that day, or the following week, Judge Brian Cogan said during a court hearing Wednesday.
At that hearing, Cogan, prosecutors and defense lawyers also discussed a schedule for the review before the trial of classified government materials expected to be used in the case.
The 74-year-old Barrack, who was chairman of Trump’s 2017 inaugural fund, and Grimes, 27, were arrested in July.
They have both pleaded not guilty. Barrack is free on a $250 million bond — which is one of the highest bonds ever set in the world. Grimes is free on a $5 million bond.
A third defendant in the case, UAE national Rashid Sultan Rashid Al Malik Alshahhi, remains at large.

An indictment accuses the three men of secretly advancing the UAE’s interests at the direction of senior officials of that country by influencing Trump’s 2016 campaign foreign policy positions and U.S. government stances during the first half of Trump’s presidency.
Prosecutors claim that during the time he was allegedly illegally lobbying Trump, Barrack also informally advised U.S. officials on Middle East policy and sought an appointment as a special envoy to the Middle East for the American government.
Barrack, who never registered with the American government as an agent for the UAE, also is charged with obstruction of justice and making multiple false statements during a June 2019 interview with federal law enforcement agents.
A top Justice Department official last summer said, “The conduct alleged in the indictment is nothing short of a betrayal of those officials in the United States, including the former President.”
Barrack stepped down as CEO of Colony Capital in 2020. He resigned as executive chairman of the firm in April.

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Monday – Friday, 6:00 – 7:00 PM ET

CNBC’s Jim Cramer on Wednesday broke down his 2022 outlook for last year’s worst-performing stocks in the Dow Jones Industrial.
“There are a few comeback stories in the dogs of the Dow, but for the most part I don’t expect these dogs to have their day in 2022,” the “Mad Money” host said.

CNBC’s Jim Cramer on Wednesday broke down his 2022 outlook for last year’s worst-performing stocks in the Dow Jones Industrial.
The “Mad Money” host also gave his forecast for the blue-chip index’s best performers.

“There are a few comeback stories in the dogs of the Dow, but for the most part I don’t expect these dogs to have their day in 2022,” Cramer said.

Walt Disney

Walt Disney shares fell 15% last year, which Cramer said was not a fun experience because his charitable investment trust owns the stock. However, Cramer said he believes the media and entertainment giant will start to get more credit for its “perfect balance of at-home, at-theater and on-vacation assets” once the Covid pandemic calms down.

Verizon

“These phone and cable companies are basically competitive utilities,” Cramer said, describing that as a “terrible place to be.”
“I don’t know how Verizon can become something else. At the moment, it’s pretty much a higher yielding bond … but the stock went down 12% last year so the offset of the yield didn’t help.”

Boeing

A pilot waves as a Boeing 777X airplane taxis during its first test flight from the company’s plant in Everett, Washington, U.S. January 25, 2020.
Terray Sylvester | Reuters

It’s been a tough few years for Boeing, Cramer said, but he noted that his charitable trust still owns the stock. Allegiant Air’s decision to purchase 50 new Boeing 737 Max planes could be a “harbinger for a reversal of fortune” for Boeing, Cramer said.

Amgen

Cramer criticized Amgen’s recent performance and its future outlook, calling the drugmaker’s stock “a dug.” He added, “I thought Amgen was supposed to be a growth company, but as biotech’s go, it’s a fossil.”

Honeywell

Honeywell, which fell 2% in 2021, is one of Cramer’s top stock picks for 2022. He said Wednesday he believes in the industrial conglomerate’s management team, but attributed a large amount of the stock’s challenges to the company’s aerospace unit.

Merck

Cramer called Merck’s recent stock performance “extremely disappointing.” While the stock rose 2.43% Wednesday, Cramer said he’s not sure “what can sustain the rally” and suggested investors sell shares.

Visa

A pedestrian wearing a protective mask walks past Visa Inc. headquarters in Foster City, California.
David Paul Morris | Bloomberg | Getty Images

While Visa shares have lagged the broader Dow over the past year, Cramer said that historically, it’s “often the prelude … for a very big move.”
Smaller companies that have been trying to take share in the payments processing space has been a headwind for Visa shares, along with rival Mastercard, Cramer said. Out of the two, Cramer said he prefers Mastercard for its growth.

Walmart

Walmart shares have struggled over the past year, and Cramer said he’s rethinking his charitable trust’s ownership of the retail behemoth.
“If they can’t get more users of their [membership program, Walmart+],” Cramer said he may use future strength to sell the stock “because there are plenty of more consistent retailers.”

3M

Michael Roman, CEO, 3M
Scott Mlyn | CNBC

Industrial giant 3M had “a tough year and yet it still finished in the black, despite several guide downs based on several different divisions — uncharacteristic for this great company,” Cramer said. “The stock doesn’t seem to want to go much lower here, but I can’t think of anything that could turn it around,” he added.

Dow Inc.

“I like this one. I believe in management, too,” Cramer said. “However, I don’t like where we are in the chemicals cycle — they’ve almost all hit peaks. … Bad stock to own when the Fed starts tightening. There are better fish to fry.”
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Monday – Friday, 6:00 – 7:00 PM ET

CNBC’s Jim Cramer said Wednesday he sees a handful of attractively priced technology stocks following a rough start to 2022.
“You have to pick among the rubble” after the Nasdaq’s 3.5% year-to-date decline, the “Mad Money” host said.
Cramer suggested investors look to Salesforce, Meta Platforms, Nvidia and Palo Alto Networks.

CNBC’s Jim Cramer said Wednesday he sees a handful of attractively priced technology stocks following a rough start to 2022 for the broad cohort and suggested investors look to take advantage of the weakness.
The tech-heavy Nasdaq Composite is down about 3.5% for 2022 after just three trading days, and “you have to pick among the rubble when it does that,” the “Mad Money” host said.

Cramer offered up the following stocks to consider: Enterprise software giant Salesforce, Facebook-parent Meta Platforms, cybersecurity firm Palo Alto Networks and chipmaker Nvidia. All four stocks are in the red for 2022 and notably down from their respective all-time highs, Cramer said.
“I always hear from people complaining that … they bought these high-quality tech stocks when they were flying. You’re certainly not buying them at the high today if you bought them, certainly not tomorrow if we go again,” Cramer said.
“Even though they might be clobbered again tomorrow, you’ve got to pick your spot here. You can’t act as if this was their first day down,” he added.
Cramer stressed that he was not encouraging investors to look at buying unprofitable technology companies that trade on price-to-sales ratios. He’s been advising viewers to avoid those types of stocks for weeks, while instead championing companies with “real earnings.”
“I’m getting more enticed by the profitable tech names that just got beheaded. Price does matter to me,” Cramer said.

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Disclosure: Cramer’s charitable trust owns shares of Nvidia, Salesforce and Meta Platforms.

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Walmart is cutting pandemic-related paid leave in half after the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention cut isolation and quarantine requirements last week.
Employees will now get one week of paid leave instead of two if they contract Covid or have close contact with someone who tests positive, the company said in a memo.
Retailers and restaurants are navigating a complex landscape again as Covid cases surge, leading to staffing shortages at some locations.

An employee scans grocery items for pickup order at a Walmart Inc. store in Burbank, California, U.S., on Tuesday, Nov. 26, 2019.
Patrick T. Fallon | Bloomberg | Getty Images

Walmart is cutting pandemic-related paid leave in half — from two weeks to one week — after the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention cut isolation requirements last week for asymptomatic people with Covid and shortened the time that close contacts need to quarantine.
The big-box retailer, which is the country’s largest private employer, announced the policy change in a memo that was sent to employees Tuesday and was obtained by CNBC on Wednesday.

In the memo, Walmart said that through March 31 it will provide paid time off for employees who are mandated to quarantine by a health-care provider, government or Walmart or if they fail a health screening or test positive for Covid. It said employees who qualify will be paid for one week.

A Walmart spokesperson said employees qualify for the paid leave regardless of vaccination status.
Walmart is also asking corporate employees to continue to primarily work from home until Jan. 30, even though offices would remain open, the spokesperson said. The company had previously asked workers to work virtually until Monday.
Walmart is one of the first companies to announce changes in the wake of the CDC’s revised guidance — and its move could prompt others to revise paid leave policies, too. Last week, U.S. health officials said they would reduce the length of required isolation and quarantine to align with growing evidence that people are most infectious in the two days before and three days after symptoms develop. The federal agency’s announcement came as many industries, including hospitals and airlines, struggled to keep operations going amid a surge in Covid cases among staff.
Retailers are navigating that complex backdrop — and a variety of challenges, including having more employees out sick or scrambling for child care as schools shift back to remote learning or shorten school days. That has exacerbated staffing shortages at some retailers and restaurants, resulting in shortened hours or temporary closures.

Last month Walmart temporarily shut nearly 60 U.S. stores located in coronavirus hotspots. Macy’s said this week that it would reduce hours across all its stores for the rest of January. And others, including Apple and Starbucks, shuttered some locations.
Walmart recently reinstated a mask requirement for all employees, regardless of vaccination status. It had dropped the requirement in May, saying fully vaccinated workers and customers no longer had to wear masks.
Starting Dec. 19, Walmart announced all employees must wear masks at all company facilities until further notice.

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CEO Mary Barra unveiled a new personal self-driving electric concept car from GM’s luxury brand Cadillac during the CES technology show Wednesday.
The sleek two-passenger vehicle, called InnerSpace, is part of the brand’s Halo Concept Portfolio, which debuted a year ago at CES with an urban air mobility vehicle and a shared autonomous shuttle.
Barra, during her keynote address, also revealed that GM and its subsidiary Cruise plan to offer a personal autonomous electric vehicle to consumers as soon as mid-decade.

Cadillac InnerSpace concept

DETROIT — General Motors CEO Mary Barra unveiled a new personal self-driving electric concept car from GM’s luxury brand Cadillac on Wednesday during the CES technology show.
The sleek two-passenger car, called InnerSpace, is part of Cadillac’s Halo Concept Portfolio, which debuted a year ago at CES with an urban air mobility vehicle and a shared autonomous shuttle.

Barra, during her prerecorded keynote address, also revealed that GM and its majority-owned subsidiary Cruise plan to offer a personal autonomous electric vehicle to consumers as soon as mid-decade.
That timeline is the most detailed since Barra last May said the company believes it could offer personal autonomous vehicles — marketed to individual consumers as opposed to fleet operators and ride-hailing services — “later in the decade.”
“In pursuing multiple paths simultaneously, GM and Cruise are gaining significant technological expertise and experience, and we are working to be the fastest to market with a retail personal autonomous vehicle,” Barra said Wednesday. “In fact, we aim to deliver our first personal autonomous vehicles as soon as the middle of this decade.”

Renderings from GM of the “Cadillac halo portfolio” that includes concepts of an autonomous shuttle (right) and an electric vertical take-off and landing (eVTOL) aircraft, also known as a flying vehicle.
Screenshot via GM

GM’s time frame for personal autonomous vehicles may seem aggressive given setbacks in the development of self-driving vehicles in recent years. Cruise was initially supposed to commercialize an autonomous ride-hailing fleet in San Francisco in 2019 but indefinitely delayed those plans to conduct further testing and acquire needed permits.
Barra reconfirmed Wednesday that Cruise now expects those plans to be realized in the coming months. The company applied for the last permit needed to commercialize the operations in November.

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