CNBC’s Jim Cramer cautioned investors against reacting to every twist and turn of earnings season.
“Sit on your hands during earnings season. Just try to take it all in and accept that the market has its own secrets that will be revealed over time,” the “Mad Money” host said on Wednesday. “You just have to own good companies long-term and block out the short-term noise, except when it gives you nice buying opportunities.”
The major averages finished little changed Wednesday. The Dow Jones Industrial Average dropped six points, or 0.01%, while the Nasdaq slipped nearly 0.6% and the S&P 500 fell just over 0.1%. Beneath the surface, however, Cramer said a flood of earnings reports, U.S. strikes against Iran and shifting expectations for oil prices and interest rates created a market where stocks moved in ways that defied conventional logic.
“The cross-currents are roiling everything,” Cramer said. “That’s how you get open field running, where stocks can reverse on a dime.”
A perfect example was GE Vernova, which fell 8.7% after an earnings miss. While acknowledging the miss, Cramer said the power equipment maker’s strong cash flow and robust turbine demand suggest its long-term outlook remains intact. GE Vernova is a holding in Cramer’s Charitable Trust, the portfolio used by CNBC Investing Club.
Nvidia, also a Club name, offered another example of the market’s unpredictable behavior. The AI chipmaker opened lower despite no company-specific news. It reversed and closed up 2.3% — a move that, Cramer said, may have been fueled by optimism surrounding AI server maker Super Micro‘s surge in new orders. He asked, “Delayed reaction? Ball of confusion? That makes sense.”
Cramer said the seemingly contradictory moves extended to the utility sector.
Utility companies like Sempra and Dominion rose 2.7% and 1.8%, respectively, even as Treasury yields continued to climb. Since investors often buy utilities for their dividend income, Cramer said the sector typically comes under pressure when higher bond yields make fixed-income investments more attractive.
Rather than trying to explain every market move in real time, Cramer said that investors should focus on owning quality companies and resist the temptation to chase every headline. “Don’t expect or demand rationality. Don’t bet the house on earnings numbers. In the end, you don’t need to,” he concluded.
