In this article, we will look at the stocks Jim Cramer looked at as he explained the need for a tame bond market for the stock market to go higher. The host of CNBC’s Mad Money said Friday that investors in stocks cannot ignore the bond market right now, especially with another round of earnings reports due next week.
Never forget that the stock market ultimately answers to the bond market. Bonds are in the driver’s seat, and the bond market really doesn’t like inflation or lots of new bond supply. It can suss out a rise in consumer and producer prices coming from miles away. It knows when governments are spending recklessly, like ours is right now. So periodically, the bond market acts up, sending the US Treasury down in price and up in yield. Today, it didn’t just act up; it threw a temper tantrum, causing rates to go much higher, certainly much higher than they were before the war with Iran, and that’s why the averages really turned ugly.
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Cramer said oil prices were the main catalyst behind the bond market selloff. He noted that crude had climbed 4% to $105 a barrel, a level he said is far too high for the current economy to comfortably absorb. He added that gasoline prices are becoming increasingly painful for consumers, something the bond market strongly dislikes because of the inflationary ripple effects tied to higher energy costs. Cramer said the bond market “abhors rampant energy inflation” and the chain reaction it creates across the broader economy.
Here’s the bottom line: Today was a comeuppance day, a reminder that the bond market’s wrath can smack down any stock market, no matter how robust. We need a tame bond market for stocks to keep advancing, which means we need oil to come down, and that’s not happening unless we get an end to the war. Sadly, it’s going to be harder for me to get more aggressive, more bullish because as far as I can tell, there’s no end in sight to this war.
Our Methodology
For this article, we compiled a list of 20 stocks that were discussed by Jim Cramer during the episode of Mad Money aired on May 15. We listed the stocks in the order that Cramer mentioned them.
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 498.7% since May 2014, beating its benchmark by 303 percentage points (see more details here).
Jim Cramer Looked At 20 Stocks, Including NVIDIA, Walmart, and Rocket Companies
20. Rocket Companies, Inc. (NYSE:RKT)
Rocket Companies, Inc. (NYSE:RKT) was among the stocks Jim Cramer looked at as he explained the need for a tame bond market for the stock market to go higher. Toward the end of the lightning round, a caller inquired about the company, and here’s what Cramer had to say in response:
Okay, Rocket is a play on the idea that Kevin Warsh is going to get in and cut rates, and I don’t think he can because of the price of oil and how it is making it so that there’s inflation throughout the system, so no to Rocket Companies.
Rocket Companies, Inc. (NYSE:RKT) provides mortgage, real estate, and personal finance services. The company delivers its services through Rocket Mortgage, Rocket Homes, Rocket Loans, and Rocket Money. A caller inquired about the stock during the March 23 episode, and Cramer responded:
This is totally a vote, you can look at the chart, a vote on whether there’s going to be a rate cut. People say that, only today was the first time I heard that there might be a rate cut. Again, remember, they kind of got dashed by the war. I would not give up on this stock at $14. I think it represents value.
19. Globus Medical, Inc. (NYSE:GMED)
Globus Medical, Inc. (NYSE:GMED) was among the stocks Jim Cramer looked at as he explained the need for a tame bond market for the stock market to go higher. A caller asked for Cramer’s thoughts on the company, and he remarked:
Okay, this group in particular, the medical device group, is hated in this market. And I do feel that there is not a lot of money to be made in this one if there’s not a lot to be made in the really, in some really good ones, like Medtronic or ISRG or Boston Scientific.
Globus Medical, Inc. (NYSE:GMED) develops healthcare solutions for musculoskeletal disorders. The company provides specialized implants, tools, and biologic materials to help treat spine and orthopedic disorders. In addition, it offers advanced robotic guidance systems, surgical planning software, and nerve monitoring services to assist surgeons during procedures. Invesco Ltd stated the following regarding Globus Medical, Inc. (NYSE:GMED) in its Q4 2025 investor letter:
Globus Medical, Inc. (NYSE:GMED): This medical technology company specializes in musculoskeletal solutions for spine, orthopedic trauma and joint reconstruction. The company has faced issues with recent acquisitions, supply chain issues and weakness in its robotics segment, which together provided an opportunity to purchase the stock at what we saw as an attractive discount to our estimate of intrinsic value.
