On Monday, Jim Cramer, host of Mad Money, offered his perspective on why recent major U.S. trade agreements have failed to influence stock market activity and pointed out that investors’ attention is simply elsewhere this week.
“If these trade deals are so good, then you have to ask yourself why is the market screaming higher? Why was the Dow down today? Great question… This is already a fabulous market. It’s gone up almost every week since the post Liberation Day lows… The trade deal with Europe might have meant much more, but earnings season has its own pull.”
READ ALSO: 13 Stocks Jim Cramer Looked At and Jim Cramer Weighed in on These 17 Stocks.
Cramer referred to the “serial nature” of tariff-related developments as especially overwhelming. He pointed out that once one issue is addressed, another immediately demands attention. He said that with something larger always looming, it creates what he called trade ennui. He emphasized that the market tends to focus on earnings over general news only four times a year, and this is one of those rare stretches.
Cramer argued that if the week was not packed with earnings reports, the European Union trade announcement might have carried more weight. However, it is not the case, especially with the Federal Reserve meeting also scheduled. He pointed out that adding to the noise is the upcoming labor report, due Friday. He mentioned that regardless of the report’s outcome, whether weak or strong, the president is likely to push for a rate cut either way. In his words, “this week is a total gauntlet.”
“But the bottom line: Right now, we’re presuming these tariffs don’t matter. What matters is earnings, unemployment, the Fed meeting and you know what, dead last, tariffs. Now that may be a disappointment to the White House… It won’t be assuaged by $600 billion from the EU or $550 billion from Japan. This week is a beast of its own, and nobody in Wall Street is going to care about trade policy until the week is over.”
Our Methodology
For this article, we compiled a list of 14 stocks that were discussed by Jim Cramer during the episodes of Mad Money aired on July 28. We listed the stocks in the order that Cramer mentioned them. We also provided hedge fund sentiment for each stock as of the first quarter of 2025, which was taken from Insider Monkey’s database of 1,000 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 373.4% since May 2014, beating its benchmark by 218 percentage points (see more details here).
Jim Cramer Shared Insights on These 14 Stocks
14. Stanley Black & Decker, Inc. (NYSE:SWK)
Number of Hedge Fund Holders: 32
Stanley Black & Decker, Inc. (NYSE:SWK) is one of the stocks Jim Cramer shared insights on. Cramer said that buying the stock now would be “reaching for yield,” as he remarked:
“… Look, it’s not just Dow. We were attracted to two stocks from our Charitable Trust because of their high yields: Best Buy and Stanley Black & Decker… Stanley would benefit from a potential turn in housing because it seemed natural that once the Fed got inflation under control, it would start cutting rates. Both stocks initially soared same thesis. We sold… Stanley at a small loss, thankfully avoiding a much larger downturn later on… Now, when Stanley last came on the show, they told us they don’t expect to turn until 2027, which was disconcerting because it immediately made me feel the dividend could be in jeopardy between now and then, especially because the company has so much exposure to Chinese manufacturing. Right now, Stanley has plenty of coverage, but its free cash flow is going the wrong way, and I think you’d be reaching for yield if you bought this stock here…”
Stanley Black & Decker (NYSE:SWK) manufactures hand and power tools, outdoor equipment, fasteners, and engineered industrial products for both consumer and professional use. The company’s products are used in spaces such as construction, automotive, aerospace, and manufacturing.
13. Best Buy Co., Inc. (NYSE:BBY)
Number of Hedge Fund Holders: 36
Best Buy Co., Inc. (NYSE:BBY) is one of the stocks Jim Cramer shared insights on. During the episode, Cramer called it one of the “highest-yielding retailers.” He remarked:
“… Look, it’s not just Dow. We were attracted to two stocks from our Charitable Trust because of their high yields: Best Buy and Stanley Black & Decker. Best Buy would benefit from the biggest PC cycle in years because of Microsoft’s Copilot… Both stocks initially soared, same thesis. We sold Best Buy at a terrific profit… Best Buy stock now yields 5.6%, one of the highest-yielding retailers out there. In itself, though, not inspiring. The PC refresh cycle turned out to be a bust. President Trump’s tariffs will spike the price of Chinese and Korean appliances. Also, that Whirlpool can raise prices too, although judging by that hideous quarter just reported tonight by Whirlpool, where the company slashed its quarterly dividend from $1.75 to 90 cents a share, just what I’m talking about. Whirlpool needs all the help it can get. That’s not good for Best Buy. Again, I think you could be reaching for yield here. The problem is one of reassurance. If the dividend’s in jeopardy, management won’t say a word about it till they actually give you the cut.”
Best Buy (NYSE:BBY) provides technology products, including computers, mobile devices, appliances, electronics, and smart home items. The company also delivers services such as installation, repairs, tech support, and health-related solutions.