Jim Cramer, host of Mad Money, recently discussed the outlook for the stock market following a year of strong gains, cautioning that investors’ overly optimistic expectations for Federal Reserve rate cuts could lead to trouble. As the year draws to a close, brokerages are releasing their official market predictions for 2025, and so far, they are almost universally positive.
He said that this optimism is understandable given the strong earnings season and the significant stock market rally following the election. Cramer noted that many investors are betting that a business-friendly administration will continue to drive better returns.
“See, after all these gains, you gotta get a little squeamish, don’t you? Unless something drastic happens in the next few weeks, we’re in line for our second straight year of 20% plus returns for the S&P 500. First time that’s happened since 1999, ooh, not the best precedent. Plus, the market’s gotten really expensive by historical standards.”
READ ALSO Jim Cramer Discussed 10 Stocks That Can Do Well in December and Jim Cramer’s Lightning Round: 7 Stocks to Watch
Cramer said that his main worry is that Wall Street may have gotten ahead of itself, with too many investors expecting more rate cuts from the Federal Reserve than are realistically likely. He highlighted the unusual situation that has unfolded since the Fed’s surprise double rate cut in September. While short-term interest rates have come down, long-term rates set by the bond market have actually risen, creating a stark contrast. He remarked:
“The market’s betting on a December rate cut. Anything that derails that will be bad news for the averages.”
When looking ahead to 2025, Cramer noted a significant lack of consensus about future rate cuts. He pointed to Fed funds futures for December 2025, which show a wide range of predicted outcomes. Investors are betting on anywhere from zero to eight rate cuts by then, with the most likely scenario being three cuts by the end of 2025.
Cramer explained that while he thinks three rate cuts sound reasonable, it also suggests that roughly 41% of the market is anticipating too many cuts over the next year, a scenario that could disappoint many money managers.
“So here’s the bottom line: Given all the success we’ve had in this market, we need to guard against complacency and that’s why I’m flagging my biggest worry that the market might be getting too aggressive with its expectations for rate cuts over the next year.”
Jim Cramer’s Lightning Rounds: 12 Stocks Under the Spotlight
Our Methodology
For this article, we compiled a list of 12 stocks that were discussed by Jim Cramer during recent episodes of Mad Money. We listed the stocks in ascending order of their hedge fund sentiment as of the third quarter, which was taken from Insider Monkey’s database of 900 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 275% since May 2014, beating its benchmark by 150 percentage points (see more details here).
Jim Cramer’s Lightning Rounds: 12 Stocks Under the Spotlight
12. NANO Nuclear Energy Inc. (NASDAQ:NNE)
Number of Hedge Fund Holders: N/A
While Cramer expressed faith in nuclear power, discussing NANO Nuclear Energy Inc. (NASDAQ:NNE), he commented:
“No earnings. I do believe in the nuclear story, which is why I say GE Vernova. But let me tell you what to do right now, right here, tomorrow I want you to take out almost all of your cost basis and let the rest run and then you can never lose money and how happy is that? What is that? That’s called Nirvana.”
NANO Nuclear Energy (NASDAQ:NNE) is a company focused on advancing microreactor technology, with a particular emphasis on developing two distinct reactors. These include ZEUS, a solid-core battery reactor, and ODIN, which employs a low-pressure coolant system. In August, the company reported GAAP earnings per share of -17 cents.
As mentioned in our article, 10 Small Cap Stocks with High Potential, for the second quarter and the first half of the year ending March 31, 2024, it reported net losses of $1.68 million and $2.99 million, respectively, compared to $1.52 million and $2.2 million in the same periods of 2023. The higher losses were primarily due to a significant increase in research and development (R&D) expenses, which rose by 205% year-over-year as the company intensified efforts to acquire and develop new technologies, including the ALIP technology.
In a November Investor presentation, NANO Nuclear Energy (NASDAQ:NNE) outlined its efforts to push the boundaries of nuclear energy innovation, including a notable acquisition. The company’s newly secured reactor cooling technology, known as the Annular Linear Induction Pump (ALIP), intends to be commercialized within the next year. This could potentially lead to revenue generation in the near future, marking a significant step forward in the company’s plans.
11. Omeros Corporation (NASDAQ:OMER)
Number of Hedge Fund Holders: 8
During the lightning round, when a viewer asked Cramer about Omeros Corporation (NASDAQ:OMER), he said that it is possibly time to take some profit.
“Well, it finally seems to have its day, but this weekend, there’s some big presentations at the thing called ASH… They’re going to make presentations, a lot of other companies, and it better be good after that run and I can’t be assured that it is good. Maybe it’s a little profit-taking time.”
Omeros (NASDAQ:OMER) is a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company developing therapeutics for immunologic diseases, cancers, and addictive disorders, with key products in trials for various conditions. It should be noted that over the first nine months of 2024, the company’s net loss amounted to $125.5 million, or $2.15 per share, which is a deeper loss compared to the net loss of $108.8 million, or $1.73 per share, for the same period in the previous year.
As of September 30, 2024, the company had $123.2 million in cash and short-term investments, marking a decrease of $48.7 million from the end of 2023. These funds are being used for ongoing operations and debt obligations. The company recently reported some good news as it made a significant announcement regarding its investigational drug zaltenibart (OMS906. It has received a rare pediatric disease designation from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA).
This designation is for the drug’s potential use in treating complement 3 glomerulopathy (C3G), a rare and serious kidney disorder that primarily affects children and young adults. Additionally, Omeros’ (NASDAQ:OMER) zaltenibart is being developed for paroxysmal nocturnal hemoglobinuria (PNH), another rare disease, for which it has already received orphan drug designation from the FDA. The market for PNH treatments is anticipated to grow substantially, from $3.9 billion in 2023 to $10.1 billion by 2032, reflecting the increasing demand for effective therapies for these complex conditions.