Business

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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A. O. Smith Corp: “A. O. Smith is the kind of company that makes stuff, does things, returns capital to shareholders. …. Yes.”

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Monday – Friday, 6:00 – 7:00 PM ET

CNBC’s Jim Cramer told investors that they should watch for stocks to add as earnings season winds down.
In addition to corporate earning reports, he said that he’s keeping an eye out for the January consumer price index report on Tuesday.

CNBC’s Jim Cramer on Friday told investors that they should watch for stocks to add as earnings season winds down.
“There’s plenty to buy, as long as you buy companies that are making money and returning some of that money to shareholders via buybacks and dividends,” he said. “Still too soon, by the way, to pick at high-growth stocks with little in the way of earnings, though.”

Stocks were mixed on Friday, with the S&P 500 closing up slightly as it notched its worst weekly performance in nearly two months. All three major indexes ended down for the week.
Cramer reassured investors that the market’s declines this week don’t mean that it’s headed for bear market territory. “Right now, we’re witnessing classic bull market behavior. A bull market has moments where the despair is thick.”
In addition to corporate earnings reports, he said that he’s keeping an eye out for the January consumer price index report on Tuesday.
All estimates for earnings, revenue and economic data for the week are courtesy of FactSet.
Monday: TreeHouse Foods

Q4 2022 earnings release at 6:55 a.m. ET; conference call at 8:30 a.m. ET
Projected EPS: 98 cents
Projected revenue: $1 billion 

“To date, we have not seen much trade down of any size at the supermarket. … But once it starts happening, that will be a huge win in the fight against inflation,” he said.
Tuesday: Coca-Cola, Airbnb
Coca-Cola

Q4 2022 earnings release at 6:55 a.m. ET; conference call at 8:30 a.m. ET
Projected EPS: 45 cents
Projected revenue: $10 billion

Cramer said he expects a solid quarter from the beverage giant.
Airbnb

Q4 2022 earnings release at 4:05 p.m. ET; conference call at 4:30 p.m. ET
Projected EPS: 25 cents
Projected revenue: $1.86 billion

“I’ve been adamant that this company is undervalued, but I just don’t know when it can break out to the upside,” he said. 
Wednesday: Bowlero, Shopify
Bowlero

Q2 2023 earnings release after the close; conference call at 4:30 p.m. ET
Projected EPS: 16 cents
Projected revenue: $257 million

Cramer predicted the company will deliver a great set of numbers.
Shopify

Q4 2022 earnings release after the close; conference call at 5 p.m. ET
Projected loss: 1 cent per share
Projected revenue: $1.65 billion

The company must show that it can pivot toward profitability, he said.
Thursday: Constellation Energy, Applied Materials, DraftKings, DoorDash
Constellation Energy

Q4 2022 earnings release at TBA time; conference call at 10 a.m. ET
Projected EPS: 26 cents
Projected revenue: $3.63 billion

“I’d stick with this one as long as a Democrat is in the White House,” he said.
Applied Materials

Q1 2023 earnings release at 4 p.m. ET; conference call at 4:30 p.m. ET
Projected EPS: $1.93
Projected revenue: $6.69 billion

Cramer said he’s betting the company will report a weak quarter.
DraftKings

Q4 2022 earnings release after the close; conference call on Friday at 8:30 a.m. ET
Projected loss: 61 cents per share
Projected revenue: $798 million

“I do like DraftKings. I like the CEO. … But I don’t like the legislative road map,” he said.
DoorDash

Q4 2022 earnings release at 4:05 p.m. ET; conference call at 5 p.m. ET
Projected loss: 67 cents per share
Projected revenue: $1.77 billion

He said the company needs a plan to become profitable since the market only cares about companies that can deliver solid earnings.
Friday: Deere

Q1 2023 earnings release at 6:45 a.m. ET; conference call at 10 a.m. ET
Projected EPS: $5.54
Projected revenue: $11.34 billion

Deere stock is the best way to play the long-term bull market in agriculture, according to Cramer.

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Alec Baldwin is facing two counts of involuntary manslaughter for the fatal shooting of cinematographer Halyna Hutchins on the set of Rust.
His attorneys filed a motion saying a specific firearm enhancement, which carries a mandatory five- year jail sentence, doesn’t apply to his case.
“The prosecutors in this case have committed an unconstitutional and elementary legal error by charging Mr. Baldwin under a statute that did not exist on the date of the accident,” the actor’s attorneys wrote in a court filing.

Actor Alec Baldwin departs his home, as he will be charged with involuntary manslaughter for the fatal shooting of cinematographer Halyna Hutchins on the set of the movie “Rust”, in New York, January 31, 2023.
David Dee Delgado | Reuters

Alec Baldwin’s attorneys filed a motion Friday arguing New Mexico prosecutors have wrongly charged the actor under a statue that doesn’t apply to his case — and which carries a mandatory five-year jail sentence.
Baldwin was charged with two counts of involuntary manslaughter late last month for the Oct. 2021 fatal on-set shooting of cinematographer Halyna Hutchins, one of which is more serious and includes a firearm enhancement that would carry the mandatory jail sentence. If the case ends up going to trial, jurors would have to decide which involuntary manslaughter charge Baldwin is guilty of, if either. 

In a motion filed in Santa Fe’s First Judicial District, Baldwin’s attorneys argue that specific enhancement doesn’t apply to Baldwin because the statute was changed in May 2022, seven months after the incident. 
“The prosecutors in this case have committed an unconstitutional and elementary legal error by charging Mr. Baldwin under a statute that did not exist on the date of the accident,” Baldwin’s attorneys wrote in the motion. 
At the time of the incident, New Mexico’s firearm-enhancement statute was applied to cases where a gun was “brandished” in the commission of a non-capital felony, defining brandished as displaying a firearm “with intent to intimidate or injure a person.” 
The statute was later amended by the New Mexico legislature to remove any mention that a gun must be brandished, the court filing states. 
Baldwin’s attorneys argue the new version of the statute cannot apply to conduct that occurred before it was enacted and called retroactively applying the enhancement “flagrantly unconstitutional.” 

“The government’s statement of probable cause contains no allegation that Mr. Baldwin acted ‘with intent to intimidate or injure a person,’ and its description of the alleged conduct makes clear that the tragic death of cinematographer Halyna Hutchins was an accident,” the filing states. 
“Application of the current version of the statute would be unconstitutionally retroactive, and the government has no legitimate basis to charge Mr. Baldwin under the version of the statute that existed at the time of the accident.” 
In response, Heather Brewer, the spokesperson for the New Mexico First Judicial District Attorney, said the motion was nothing but an attempt to distract “from the gross negligence and complete disregard for safety on the ‘Rust’ film set that led to Halyna Hutchins’ death.”
“In accordance with good legal practice, the District Attorney and the special prosecutor will review all motions–even those given to the media before being served to the DA,” said Brewer. 
“However, the DA’s and the special prosecutor’s focus will always remain on ensuring that justice is served and that everyone–even celebrities with fancy attorneys–is held accountable under the law.”

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Arizona Sen. Mark Kelly praised the growth of the space industry and gave a rallying cry for intensified competition.
“Some of the advancements are truly stunning; this has been a great success,” Kelly said, speaking at a space conference in Washington, D.C.
Rockets are launching at an unprecedented pace, with 2022 setting a new annual record of 87 launches from the U.S., mostly by Elon Musk’s SpaceX.

Arizona Sen. Mark Kelly speaks at the annual Commercial Space Transportation conference on Feb. 9, 2023.
Michael Sheetz | CNBC

Arizona Sen. Mark Kelly, who flew to space four times over a 15-year career as an astronaut, praised the growth of the space industry and gave a rallying cry for intensified competition.
“Some of the advancements are truly stunning; this has been a great success,” Kelly said, speaking at a luncheon during the Commercial Space Transportation conference in Washington, D.C., on Thursday.

Kelly noted that the cost of sending satellites, people and cargo to orbit is currently “a fraction” of what it was when he flew on NASA’s space shuttle. He added that — while the industry’s growth is encouraging — companies building rockets need “to step up to the plate” and bring more “new launch vehicles to market faster and embrace renewed competition, not stifle it.”
“We need more launch vehicles to continue to reduce the costs associated with getting a payload to orbit,” Kelly said.

A Falcon Heavy rocket launches the USSF-67 mission on January 15, 2023 from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida.

Rockets are launching at an unprecedented pace, with 2022 setting a new annual record of 87 from the U.S. Most of those were by Elon Musk’s SpaceX, which is currently launching every four days on average, but a variety of other companies are aiming to ramp up the pace and are debuting new rockets in the coming years — including Rocket Lab, United Launch Alliance, Blue Origin, Astra, Virgin Orbit, Northrop Grumman, Firefly and ABL.

Sign up here to receive weekly editions of CNBC’s Investing in Space newsletter.

Kelly admitted that, “like maybe a lot of folks at NASA and a lot of folks in Washington” at the turn of the century, he was skeptical about relying on private companies for launches.
“I always like to think I’m the first person to admit when I was wrong, and I was about this,” Kelly said.
“The commercial space sector is critical. It’s critical to the future of the U.S. economy, and it’s critical to our leadership abroad. Without the commercial space sector, we wouldn’t be able to get our national security assets into orbit. Without it, entire sectors of the American economy, from telecom to global shipping and navigation, would not be globally competitive,” Kelly added.

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As the recent Chinese spy balloon encounter showed, keeping the skies safe is a tough job. For decades the U.S. Air Force has relied on the E-3 Sentry, and the most recent version, the E-3G, has been upgraded with more modern electronics and software to keep up with new threats.
‘The best way to describe it is kind of like the quarterback in the sky,” said Air Force Col. Keven Coyle, commander of the 552nd Air Control Wing. “It’s the job of the E-3 to surveil, to layout the enemies arrayed, and then allow our friendly forces to be able to be set up in a way that allows them to fight with the greatest capacity.”

A E-3G passes the moon during take off from Tinker Air Force Base, Oklahoma
By Brad Howard, CNBC

The Air Force is hoping that the E-7 Airborne Early Warning and Control aircraft built by Boeing can take over down the line if the Air Force needs to retire some of the older Sentry aircraft over the coming years. In the most recent budget, Congress appropriated an additional $200 million for the Air Force to develop a prototype to meet that need.
“Congress has approved the money for the first two prototypes, which is a very good thing for the Air Force,” said Lt. Col. Peter “Beast” Bastien, Air Combat Command directorate of plans, programs and requirements, airborne weapons systems and futures chief. “On the other hand, there’s a physical limitation on how fast you can turn a roll of aluminum into an E-7.”

A Royal Australian Air Force E-7A Wedgetail takes off during Black Flag 22-1 at Nellis Air Force Base, Nevada, May 10, 2022.
U.S. Air Force photo by Airman 1st Class Josey Blades

The age of the E-3s has made replacement parts more difficult to procure, and the mechanical breakdowns inherent in such an old aircraft are impacting mission rates. Congress prohibited the Air Force from starting to retire the bulk of the current fleet of Airborne Warning and Control System (AWACS) aircraft until the Secretary of the Air Force submits an acquisition strategy to Congress for a replacement. But even then, it could be years until a replacement is operational.

A U.S. Air Force E-3G taxies on a runway at Tinker AFB
By Brad Howard, CNBC

“Having the first one out in 2027 is not bad from an acquisition point of view, ” said Daniel Goure, senior vice president with the Lexington Institute, “Even for a system that’s been in some variants in the field for a long time, that’s pretty darn quick, but if there is a way to get them quicker we really need to consider that in order to make sure that we don’t lose the capability because of a problem with the aging AWACS.”
Watch the video above to get a look inside the Air Force’s E-3G Sentry.

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Automakers – historically among the largest Super Bowl advertisers – are mostly bypassing this Sunday’s NFL championship game.
The only automakers expected to advertise during Sunday’s game between the Philadelphia Eagles and Kansas City Chiefs on Fox are General Motors, Kia and Stellantis’ Ram and Jeep brands.
The decline in automotive ads this year comes as automakers invest billions of dollars in electric vehicles or attempt to preserve cash in preparation for a potential economic downturn.

General Motors and Netflix partnered for a 60-second ad starring actor and comedian Will Ferrell driving GM electric vehicles in popular Netflix shows and movies to promote the streaming service using more EVs in its productions.
Screenshot

Automakers — historically among the largest Super Bowl advertisers — are mostly bypassing this Sunday’s NFL championship game to preserve cash or spend ad dollars elsewhere.
The only automakers expected to advertise during Sunday’s game between the Philadelphia Eagles and Kansas City Chiefs on Fox are General Motors, Kia and Stellantis’ Ram and Jeep brands. Porsche said it will air a spot shortly before the game in collaboration with Paramount.

The broad resistance is a swift change from a year ago, when the automotive industry represented the largest segment for Super Bowl ads, at $99.3 million, according to Kantar Media’s Vivvix. That total was up by more than $30 million from 2021 when web-based, media and movie companies outspent the industry.
The decline in automotive ads this year comes as companies invest billions of dollars in electric vehicles or attempt to preserve cash in preparation for a potential economic downturn. They also are continuing to battle through supply chain problems.

The average cost of a 30-second commercial during last year’s Super Bowl was $6.5 million, up more than $2 million over 2016 rates. That cost is now approaching $7 million, according to Kantar Media.
“This has less to do with the Super Bowl itself and more to do with individual issues within the automotive industry,” Eric Haggstrom, director of business intelligence for Advertiser Perceptions, told CNBC. “The auto industry has been battered by supply chain issues, inflation eating into consumer budgets, and rising interest rates that have made car payments dramatically more expensive.”

Haggstrom noted several automakers pulled back ad spending in recent years — the result of fewer products to sell due to tight inventories caused by supply chain problems during the coronavirus pandemic. Newer automakers have also traditionally advertised less, or not at all, as they attempt to emulate Tesla’s advertising-free model, Haggstrom said.

Eight auto brands or companies advertised during last year’s Super Bowl, including returning companies GM and Kia. Embattled car retailers Carvana and Vroom, which advertised during last year’s game amid record used vehicle demand, are not returning. And EV startup Polestar, whose ad was a success in the 2022 Super Bowl, said it will also not advertise this year.
For the 10th consecutive year, auto accessory company WeatherTech will air a 30-second ad. The Illinois-based company is the longest-running automotive business to consecutively advertise during the big game.

Those who are advertising say they are taking the opportunity to reach a captive audience that’s expected to be around 100 million viewers. The game is historically one of the most-watched events of the year, offering advertisers an opportunity to capitalize on viewership amid declining television audiences.
GM’s 60-second ad stars actor and comedian Will Ferrell driving GM EVs through popular Netflix shows and movies to promote the streaming service upcoming efforts to include more EVs in its productions.
“It is a big moment,” GM marketing chief Deborah Wahl told reporters during a briefing about its ad. “To do something like this is really different.”
Ferrell also appeared in GM’s Super Bowl ad promoting EVs two years ago.
Those who aren’t returning largely attributed the decision to business priorities or available products and capital. Toyota Motor, one of the top Super Bowl advertisers in recent years, said its product plans didn’t align with this year’s game.
“We look at the Super Bowl very strategically, and we want to make sure that we have a purpose for being in the Super Bowl,” Lisa Materazzo, group vice president of Toyota Marketing, told CNBC at an event this week for the Chicago Auto Show. “We definitely think the Super Bowl has a place. This year it just wasn’t the right time or place for us.”
Hyundai Motor, in an emailed statement, said the decision not to advertise was “based on business priorities and where we felt it was best to allocate our marketing resources.” Audi, which last advertised in 2020, said it’s “focusing on other efforts within our electrification and sustainability commitments.”
Stellantis, formerly known as Fiat Chrysler, has been one of the most prolific advertisers for more than a decade and is returning after a one-year hiatus. The company’s chief marketing officer, Olivier Francois, is well known for attracting standout talent including Bruce Springsteen, Bill Murray, Clint Eastwood and Eminem.
Stellantis has not released its ads, while GM, Kia and WeatherTech released their commercials earlier this week.
Kia’s 60-second “Binky Dad” ad features a father going viral for racing to retrieve a “binky” for his baby, driving a 2023 Telluride X-Pro SUV. It’s set to “Gonna Fly Now” of 1976, famously known as the “Rocky” movie theme music. Uniquely, the commercial features three alternate endings that will be available exclusively on TikTok.

The ad has drawn some criticism online, as Kia and its parent company Hyundai have come under fire for at least four of its suppliers reportedly violating child labor laws. Both Hyundai and Kia have condemned such practices. Reuters this week reported the parent company is in talks with the U.S. Department of Labor to resolve concerns about child workers in its U.S. supply chain.
The 30-second ad for WeatherTech promotes the company’s U.S.-made products, showing bank executives and others criticizing the company for its American investments and production.
The ad for Porsche is a collaboration with Paramount for this summer’s “Transformers: Rise of the Beasts” film. It is the second year for such a tie-up following a commercial last year for “Top Gun: Maverick.”
Haggstrom said there’s been a general “cautiousness” in the auto industry around advertising.
“They’re really looking at what is the value of advertising today? How does that affect my top line, how does that affect my go-to-market,” he said. “We’ve seen a general trend in accountability in consumer advertising.”
– CNBC’s John Rosevear contributed to this report.

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Every weekday the CNBC Investing Club with Jim Cramer holds a “Morning Meeting” livestream at 10:20 a.m. ET. Here’s a recap of Friday’s key moments. Remain selective when buying Adding to Estee Lauder Keeping watch on Alphabet 1. Remain selective when buying The S & P 500 Short Range Oscillator clocked in at minus-0.09% as of Thursday’s close, meaning the market has finally exited overbought territory. That means that it’s finally safe to start buying stocks after mostly trimming our positions as of late. But we are remaining careful and selective with the stocks that we choose to buy, and are ultimately looking for names that promise great returns in the long term, not just the short term. 2. Adding to Estee Lauder We bought more shares of Estee Lauder (EL) on Friday, taking advantage of the stock’s weakness relative to the overall market this year. While shares have been down after the cosmetics giant issued conservative guidance for its current quarter, we aren’t getting bogged down by possible short-term issues. We still like Estee Lauder as a post-zero Covid, China economy reopening play. We feel confident that the company can return to growth mode down the road. 3. Keeping watch on Alphabet Alphabet (GOOGL) finally stabilized Friday, with shares up slightly. The Google parent suffered its worst two-day decline since March 2020 after Microsoft (MSFT) unveiled new artificial intelligence-enhanced search capabilities for Bing — courtesy of startup OpenAI , the maker of ChatGPT. We’re also concerned about the Justice Department’s antitrust lawsuit against Alphabet over online advertising practices. While we don’t have any immediate plans for our GOOGL position, were keeping watch on the situation. (Jim Cramer’s Charitable Trust is long EL, GOOGL, MSFT. See here for a full list of the stocks.) As a subscriber to the CNBC Investing Club with Jim Cramer, you will receive a trade alert before Jim makes a trade. Jim waits 45 minutes after sending a trade alert before buying or selling a stock in his charitable trust’s portfolio. If Jim has talked about a stock on CNBC TV, he waits 72 hours after issuing the trade alert before executing the trade. THE ABOVE INVESTING CLUB INFORMATION IS SUBJECT TO OUR TERMS AND CONDITIONS AND PRIVACY POLICY , TOGETHER WITH OUR DISCLAIMER . NO FIDUCIARY OBLIGATION OR DUTY EXISTS, OR IS CREATED, BY VIRTUE OF YOUR RECEIPT OF ANY INFORMATION PROVIDED IN CONNECTION WITH THE INVESTING CLUB. NO SPECIFIC OUTCOME OR PROFIT IS GUARANTEED. More

Prices on new TVs have fallen roughly 40% over the past five years.
If you are thinking of upgrading ahead of Super Bowl Sunday, here are some of the best deals right now.

Nearly 200 million people will watch the Philadelphia Eagles face off against the Kansas City Chiefs in the Super Bowl on Feb. 12, which might be a good motivation to buy a brand-new television.
While you might not see as many deals now as there are on Black Friday, prices, in general, have been steadily falling, thanks to the continued introduction of better technology and other new features.

Now, retailers like Target and Best Buy are trying to clear out last year’s models in order to make room for this year’s, so they are lowering prices even more, according to Julie Ramhold, consumer analyst with DealNews.
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For example, Best Buy has this TCL 58-inch TV currently marked down to $290, even less than the price in November, Ramhold said.
Among her other top picks are a 75-inch LG 4K smart TV with built-in Alexa and Google voice assistants for $749 at Walmart and a 55-inch Sony 4K smart TV for $480 or 60-inch Samsung 4K smart TV for just $450, both at Best Buy.
Even if some discounts aren’t as steep, the televisions may be better quality compared to some “no-name” brands advertised on Black Friday, which often are not the best of the best, according to Andrea Woroch, a consumer savings expert.

“We see deals on more brand names rather than those generic TVs and the deals are primarily on those larger screens,” she said, such as an 85-inch Samsung 4K smart TV for $300 off at Sam’s Club.
Woroch recommends shopping for “open box” or certified refurbished sets for further discounts and searching for coupon codes or cash back on sites like CouponCabin.

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