Cramer game plan: Fear this next week, not the Fed
This week was a tough one for Jim Cramer. With exception of the Kraft's takeover bid from Heinz, there wasn't too much positive news circulating in the market.
Cramer does not anticipate that next week will be as tough, but it will be bizarre. The only big news next week is the Labor Department's nonfarm payroll report, which comes out on Friday, when the market will be closed.
"Sometimes, when you're a stock junkie, like me, you search for clues anywhere you can get them. And on slower days you bear down and truly get the skinny on something else no one knows," the "Mad Money" host said.
With the need to think outside of the box next week, Cramer elaborated on his radar for the coming days:
Monday: AAR Corp (NYSE: AIR)
Cramer is worried about the airlines right now, because they aren't doing as well as they were before. Could it be a reduction in foreign travel, or could it be that oil prices have stopped going down?
One relatively unknown stock is right in the center of Cramer's attention: AAR Corp. It's an aerospace services company that purchases, sells, repairs and refurbishes airplanes.
Cramer wants to listen to what AAR has to say so he can take the temperature of the aerospace market. It could shed light on how companies like Boeing, (NYSE: BA) Honeywell (NYSE: HON), United Technologies (NYSE: UTX) or General Electric (NYSE: GE) are doing.
"Don't forget why this is so important: the transports have been punk lately...they failed to confirm last week's rally in the S&P 500 (INDEX: .SPX) and that was an excellent tip off that you were getting greedy if you hadn't taken anything off the table ahead of this week's hideous decline," Cramer said.
Tuesday: Freshpet (NASDAQ: FRPT)
Just as Cramer's top natural and organic food stocks, WhiteWave (NYSE: WWAV) and Hain Celestial (NASDAQ: HAIN), have had amazing growth, Cramer thinks the natural pet food company Fresh Pet could one day mimic the same growth trajectory. Still, this is also one of the most heavily shorted stocks that Cramer follows, so the "Mad Money" host wants to hear what executives have to say before he pulls the trigger.
Wednesday: Monsanto (NYSE: MON)
"I'm getting increasingly concerned that the whole agricultural complex is simply not coming through this year," Cramer said.
Thus, Cramer will be interested to see if Monsanto can deliver the upside that it has pulled off in the past.
Bonus Cramer tip: Speaking of agribusiness, if you're looking for some crop protection, Cramer recommended buying Dow Chemical (NYSE: DOW) on Monday morning. Dow announced on Friday that it will be removing its chemical business on Olin (NYSE: OLN). Cramer thinks the deal could raise the price-to-earnings multiple dramatically and could quickly catapult the stock into the $50s.
Thursday: CarMax (NYSE: KMX), Micron (NASDAQ: MU)
While a lot of investors own Micron, Cramer thinks it is worth pointing out that when this stock is bad-it's really bad. Some investors think that Micron's stock is so low right now that it can't hurt to buy it, but in Cramer's opinion that is a terrible reason to own a stock.
Friday: Nonfarm payroll numbers
Cramer cannot emphasize enough just how important employment figures will be. Especially considering the fact that last month's employment report was very strong, and then there haven't been any strong economic numbers of importance that have been announced since.
Some investors what to see a number that resembles the weak statistics of the other numbers announced, because they fear that a strong economy will prompt the Fed to raise rates.
----------------------------------------------------------
Read more from Mad Money with Jim Cramer
Cramer: I'm making a call on oil unrest
Cramer: The market isn't out of the woods, yet
Cramer: Yemen's unusual impact on oil
----------------------------------------------------------
"Don't fear the Fed; fear the prospect of the economy downshifting from 2.2 percent gross domestic product number we got for the fourth quarter today," he said.
Cramer anticipates that unless there is a pickup in business for the industrial companies that are set to report next month, the strong dollar could create chaos. However, if there is employment growth that will at least give some optimism in what Cramer thinks will be a very disappointing earnings season.
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 - Vine
Questions, comments, suggestions for the "Mad Money" website? madcap@cnbc.com
More From CNBC
