Jim Cramer, the host of Mad Money, told viewers on Friday to brace for a complicated week on Wall Street, with fresh economic data and a new batch of earnings reports coming up.
“Now, this is a tricky week. Why? Because on Tuesday, we get something that we’re used to seeing on the first Friday of every month, the Bureau of Labor Statistics non-farm payroll report. You know, we’ve been flying blind for several months now, thanks to the… shutdown that just wouldn’t end, remember? And that means there’s been a lot of second-guessing of the Fed right down to its latest quarter-point cut on Wednesday. A strong employment number will call into question the need for any additional rate cuts. It might end up being one-two punch because the very next day after we get those numbers, New York Fed President John Williams is going to comment.”
READ ALSO Jim Cramer Expressed Thoughts on These 14 Stocks and Jim Cramer Highlighted 7 Stocks in Light of the Fed Rate Cut
Cramer also noted that Tuesday will bring additional macroeconomic data, including retail sales. He said weaker retail sales numbers would be needed to support the case for more rate cuts. He explained that rate policy has become the market’s main focus, and that bulls are relying on a steady stream of negative economic headlines to keep the pressure on the Fed to continue easing.
“The bottom line: We’re taking an Oracle-Broadcom inspired break, although I don’t think anything’s really wrong with Broadcom, and I’m not worried about its gross margins. That sell-off today was just plain out overdone. But an overdone sell-off doesn’t end in one day. I have been worried about Oracle ever since it decided it was going all in on data centers. Didn’t really get it. I always looked at it as a go big or go home initiative. And today… I found myself thinking, you know what, where exactly does Oracle live? What’s its address? Because right now, the Street thinks it’s going home.”
Our Methodology
For this article, we compiled a list of 10 stocks that were discussed by Jim Cramer during the episode of Mad Money aired on December 12. We listed the stocks in the order that Cramer mentioned them. We also provided hedge fund sentiment for each stock as of the third quarter of 2025, which was taken from Insider Monkey’s database of 978 hedge funds.
Why are we interested in the stocks that hedge funds pile into? The reason is simple: our research has shown that we can outperform the market by imitating the top stock picks of the best hedge funds. Our quarterly newsletter’s strategy selects 14 small-cap and large-cap stocks every quarter and has returned 427.7% since May 2014, beating its benchmark by 264 percentage points (see more details here).
10 Stocks on Jim Cramer’s Game Plan This Week
10. Paychex, Inc. (NASDAQ:PAYX)
Number of Hedge Fund Holders: 53
Paychex, Inc. (NASDAQ:PAYX) is one of the stocks on Jim Cramer’s game plan this week. Cramer finished his game plan with the stock, as he commented:
“Finally, Friday, we have a bunch of good reads on a slew of different industries… Paychex handles the payouts of millions of individuals who work at small and medium-sized firms. We need every piece of data to keep up on what’s really happening as the money rotates from the Magnificent Seven to all these other different areas, kind of like a fire hose.”
Paychex, Inc. (NASDAQ:PAYX) provides human capital management solutions, including payroll processing, payroll tax and compliance, HR administration, benefits, and workforce management for small to mid-sized businesses. Cramer mentioned the stock during the September 30 episode and said:
“What happened today to the stock of Paychex, the payroll processor, human capital management company that caters to small, medium-sized businesses? After reporting what to me seemed like a real solid set of numbers this morning, the stock plunged 7% early in the trading session, largely because I think some people felt the margins were taking a hit. But as I’ve told you repeatedly, the stock tends to sell off in response to earnings, even when the numbers are good.
Maybe Wall Street got the memo because ultimately Paychex rebounded, finishing the day off nearly 1.4%. That’s a, it is a little tricky in a declining interest rate environment. There is a payroll processor issue. The company actually makes more money when rates are high, but after employers prefund their payrolls, Paychex collects interest on that money for every minute before it’s deposited in your bank account… That used to be a big issue, but the company’s gotten well beyond that. There’s a lot of other levers that it pulls.”
9. Conagra Brands, Inc. (NYSE:CAG)
Number of Hedge Fund Holders: 34
Conagra Brands, Inc. (NYSE:CAG) is one of the stocks on Jim Cramer’s game plan this week. Cramer mentioned the importance of the company’s numbers for a better read on economic data, as he remarked:
“Finally, Friday, we have a bunch of good reads on a slew of different industries… Conagra Brands got a lot of stuff in their freezer case. Can show… whether people are cooking at home in ever larger numbers.”
Conagra Brands, Inc. (NYSE:CAG) makes packaged foods, including pantry staples, frozen meals, snacks, and foodservice items. Some of its well-known brands include Marie Callender’s, Slim Jim, Birds Eye, and BOOMCHICKAPOP. Cullen Capital Management, LLC, operating under the name Schafer Cullen Capital Management, Inc. stated the following regarding Conagra Brands, Inc. (NYSE:CAG) in its third quarter 2025 investor letter:
“Our position in Conagra Brands, Inc. (NYSE:CAG) was sold during the quarter. Conagra has bolstered its food portfolio over the years through M&A, however industry challenges impacting leading traditional brands have yet to abate. The frozen food category, approximately 1/3 of CAG’s sales, has struggled amidst intense competition from challenger brands while volumes continue to decline following inflationary price increases. While the stock’s valuation is attractive at 11x forward earnings, the entire food industry has de-rated over the past several years. In addition, the current dividend payout ratio is 80% versus the company’s target of 50-55% which places the dividend at risk.”
