Jim Cramer, the host of Mad Money, laid out his game plan for the week and explained how the next several economic reports could shape sentiment.
“Now, what are we doing next week?… Tuesday morning starts with the December Consumer Price Index, and it matters. Today, we had an inconsequential set of labor department figures that didn’t really impact the stock market. I don’t think the CPI will be weak. We’re getting some indication that the holiday shopping season was very strong, the strongest in years. Look for some tension between the president who’s trying to contain inflation and the consumer who’s borne the brunt of it, with the Federal Reserve in the middle, trying to figure out if it’s safe to keep cutting interest rates in a rising inflation environment.”
READ ALSO: Jim Cramer Discussed These 11 Stocks and Recent Market Rotation and 15 Stocks Jim Cramer Talked About.
Talking about coming Wednesday, Cramer noted that two major reports arrive at once: retail sales and the producer price index. He said these figures, much like the CPI the day before, could give the Fed justification to move forward with rate cuts, but he also emphasized an important limitation. He said that, unlike the CPI, both reports are delayed and cover November, a lag caused by a backlog tied to the government shutdown. Due to that, he said the data will miss what he expects was a very strong December driven by heavy holiday spending across the country.
“The bottom line: A strong start to the earnings season could lead to a nice tone going forward. Yes, you can take your cue from the bank earnings, and you know what? I bet there’ll be darn good ones.”
Our Methodology
For this article, we compiled a list of 11 stocks that were discussed by Jim Cramer during the episode of Mad Money aired on January 9. 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).
11 Stocks on Jim Cramer’s Game Plan For This Week
11. The PNC Financial Services Group, Inc. (NYSE:PNC)
Number of Hedge Fund Holders: 59
The PNC Financial Services Group, Inc. (NYSE:PNC) is one of the stocks on Jim Cramer’s game plan for this week. Cramer finished his game plan with the company, as he commented:
“On Friday, we get a big bank break when we can focus on just PNC, a regional bank that’s been an up-and-down performer after years where it did nothing but go up. I prefer the other bank stocks. Now, the beginning of earnings season sets the tone for a bushel of quarters ahead. It makes sense. The banks always kick things off, and it’s reasonable to extrapolate all sorts of trends for consumers, right, and corporations from the financials.”
The PNC Financial Services Group, Inc. (NYSE:PNC) provides money management tools, including banking, home and auto loans, and professional investment planning. Cramer discussed the company during his game plan on January 10, 2025. He said:
“Thursday we have more of the same. This time, Bank of America, U.S. Bancorp, Morgan Stanley, and PNC Financial. I actually expect all these to be good too. But the best one, the most admirable [is] likely to be PNC. You know, PNC has become kind of a cult bank stock.”
It should be noted that since the above comment was aired, The PNC Financial Services Group, Inc. (NYSE:PNC) stock has gained slightly over 15%.
10. J.B. Hunt Transport Services, Inc. (NASDAQ:JBHT)
Number of Hedge Fund Holders: 38
J.B. Hunt Transport Services, Inc. (NASDAQ:JBHT) is one of the stocks on Jim Cramer’s game plan for this week. Cramer mentioned the stock during the episode and remarked:
“After the close, we hear from truck giant, J.B. Hunt, probably seen their trucks on the road. I think this group has finally broken out of its doldrums, the freight recession. I don’t typically recommend truckers, very hard business, but a good number from J.B. Hunt emboldens me to keep pushing Federal Express, FedEx. What a winner that’s been. Raj Subramaniam’s just done a fantastic job there.”
J.B. Hunt Transport Services, Inc. (NASDAQ:JBHT) provides freight, delivery, and logistics solutions across multiple transportation modes. The company operates extensive fleets of tractors and trailers. Cramer mentioned the stock during the December 10, 2025, episode and said:
“Hey, you know what? You can buy the transports. They thrive when rates go down. I think J.B. Hunt can be bought for the truckers. I never recommend them, but I think the long trucking recession’s over.”
