In this article, we will look at Jim Cramer’s Mad Money game plan for the week ahead. The host of CNBC’s Mad Money said on Friday that the market is heading into a difficult stretch, with the coming week packed with major tech earnings.

This thing, this market is a beast. More accurately, it’s a beast if you own anything connected to the data center or anything named Intel… the most astonishing resurrection that I’ve ever seen from a major company. Now, the data center is a pretty broad term, encompassing everything from Google and Amazon to Meta and NVIDIA, and Broadcom and back again. Unfortunately, it sucks up most of the market’s oxygen. So, many other sectors have been suffocating, particularly healthcare. The move is so powerful that we found ourselves taking profits in stocks that far exceeded our price targets.

READ ALSO Jim Cramer’s 12 Stock Calls: GE Vernova, Arm, and Vertiv and Jim Cramer’s Mad Money Recap: 12 Stocks, Including RTX & Marvell

Cramer also highlighted that Wednesday will bring a Federal Reserve meeting, which he noted is the last one to be chaired by Jerome Powell. He mentioned that the Justice Department has ended its investigation into cost overruns tied to renovations at the Federal Reserve building. He also said that Kevin Warsh has been nominated by President Donald Trump. He added, “He’ll be good.”

So, here’s the bottom line: We’re coming into one of the toughest weeks of the year for a stock picker, for someone like me, because there’s just so many companies reporting at the same time. That’s why you need to stop, look, and listen before you take action. Conference call, not the headlines, will determine the stock price. Please, listen to the conference call or don’t do anything until the next day.

Our Methodology

For this article, we compiled a list of 17 stocks that were discussed by Jim Cramer during the episode of Mad Money aired on April 24. 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’s Week Ahead: 17 Stocks in Focus, Including Alphabet and Bloom Energy

17. Chevron Corporation (NYSE:CVX)

Chevron Corporation (NYSE:CVX) was on Jim Cramer’s Mad Money game plan for the week ahead. Ending his game plan with the company, Cramer said:

Finally, on Friday, let’s get boring. Chevron and Exxon are important. Now, these are usually placid affairs, but not this time. We’re going to listen closely, see if their plans have changed because of the war with Iran. I think these oil companies have classic long-term approaches, but they also know that you need to get the oil transported from one place to another. And now it’s easier to say get the oil out of Venezuela than it is anywhere in the Middle East.

Chevron Corporation (NYSE:CVX) is an integrated energy company that explores, produces, refines, and markets oil, natural gas, and petrochemical products. It is worth noting that when a caller inquired about Exxon on April 2, Cramer said:

Well, look, I think, you know, first of all, Chevron I like more than Exxon. I think they’re more forward-looking. So I would not, I don’t want you to cash out of Exxon for Chevron, but I’m just telling everybody else that’s the case. I think that, I’m going to speak as a portfolio manager myself for my Charitable Trust. I sold my oil, and it was a mistake, and it was clearly a mistake because we forget how important oil is to our country. We spoke to ONEOK today, just shows you the value of it. I think you should have one.

I’ve been trying to go back and forth with Jeff Marks about what to do. I would encourage you to stay in Exxon if you, if someone’s watching and listening and they don’t own one, go for Chevron. These are known as E&P plays, and I think you just own it, and take it from me as someone who wishes that he had not sold his one oil. It’s really good to have one. To be up 34% year to date is great… Just hold on. And new people who are thinking, wow, Jim really likes to own an oil, the oil that I like to own is Chevron.

16. Sandisk Corporation (NASDAQ:SNDK)

Sandisk Corporation (NASDAQ:SNDK) was on Jim Cramer’s Mad Money game plan for the week ahead. Calling the stock a rocket ship, Cramer said:

Two rocket ships blast off Thursday evening, Sandisk and Western Digital, up 317 and nearly 135% year-to- date… 317%, this is Sandisk. This is like low tech, okay? Can we really ask these stocks to do more? Yes, if they keep blowing away the numbers, and given the memory shortage, I bet they can keep blowing away the numbers.

Sandisk Corporation (NASDAQ:SNDK) sells NAND flash-based storage solutions, including solid-state drives, embedded storage, removable cards, and USB drives. On April 22, Cramer noted that he missed out on the stock’s rally, as he said:

I’m going to talk about 16 [stocks] that I was unable to land, couldn’t bring them in… They are so far away from where I first wanted to buy them that I just have to say I’m late, forget about them. Except that time after time it would’ve worked if I hadn’t forgotten about them, if I just bought them today or yesterday, the day before, a week before, a month before, whatever. Which are the tantalizing stocks that have just driven me to ruin? Let’s start with memory and storage, yeah, the devices that hold the data. You ready? You can write them down, but they’re so hot they’ll burn the paper. Seagate, Sandisk, Western Digital, and Micron. I liked all these…

Listen to me. These stocks are being driven up by desperate buyers with persistent orders that take them higher every day. And now I’m going to tell you how it works. Let’s say you want some Sandisk, okay, so do many other people. With the stock at, say $957, you go in, and you place an order like this $957, right? Sandisk, buy me 100,000 with a $1,000 top. A half dozen buyers are actually putting in that same order at the same time you are, literally. And that’s why the stock could rally 8.4% today, up 75 bucks.

These orders are often put in before the market opens. It’s like a train, and they don’t want to miss it. These orders and people don’t have any quit, and that’s how a stock goes up dramatically. Multiple buyers with high tops just buying and buying. Why do these memory stocks work? Simple, shortages. AI needs a huge amount of memory. Nobody in this industry was ready for that level of demand. It’ll take them years to build out enough production capacity to meet the demand.

15. Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL)

Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) was on Jim Cramer’s Mad Money game plan for the week ahead. Cramer was bullish on the company during the episode, as he said:

After the close, Apple reports. This is a solemn moment for those of us who think Tim Cook’s one of the greatest CEOs of all time. Tim’s handing the reins to John Ternus. He’ll become executive chairman effective September 1. What a run. I think Apple’s doing exceptionally well, and I think it’s got enough momentum to last through the end of the year. New phones, foldables, along with the very strong iPhone 17 line, should keep this thing going higher. I say own it, don’t trade it.

Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) manufactures and sells devices such as the iPhone, Mac, iPad, along with its line-up of wearables and accessories. The devices are supported by the company’s app ecosystem, AppleCare, and cloud tools.

14. Caterpillar Inc. (NYSE:CAT)

Caterpillar Inc. (NYSE:CAT) was on Jim Cramer’s Mad Money game plan for the week ahead. Cramer noted that the company is involved in the data center business “big time” and commented:

We hear from Caterpillar too, and I actually expect a huge number, and that’s in large part because, well, go ahead, you can say it… Do I have to say it? Data center. They’re in there big time.

Caterpillar Inc. (NYSE:CAT) provides heavy machinery, engines, turbines, and rail equipment. In addition, the company offers power systems, parts, and support that keep the equipment working. On April 7, when a caller asked what could cause a long-term problem for the company, Cramer said:

Well, you’d have to see metals and mining really get crushed. You’d have to see the Permian give out. You’d have to see no more construction on roads. None of that’s going to happen. Joe Creed has got this thing going. He’s the CEO. I think CAT is one of the most viable stocks. I think this stock could be up gigantically if we get the end of the war, gigantically.

13. Eli Lilly and Company (NYSE:LLY)

Eli Lilly and Company (NYSE:LLY) was on Jim Cramer’s Mad Money game plan for the week ahead. Noting that there is controversy around the company recently, Cramer said:

Now, this one’s a little controversial, Eli Lilly. They announced some scripts for the new weight loss drug, and they were disappointing. I admit that. Stock sold off big. I say, calm down. Lilly will tell a good story when it reports on Thursday morning. They’ve got a… little longer-term view than just 10 days.

Eli Lilly and Company (NYSE:LLY) develops and markets medicines for diabetes, obesity, oncology, immunology, neuroscience, and other chronic conditions. When a caller asked if the stock is a buy, sell, or hold on March 18, Cramer replied:

Okay, everybody’s giving up on Lilly. My experience with Eli Lilly is there are bouts of giving up in this. That’s what I call it, giving up in this. We’re in a giving up in this moment for one of the greatest, if not the greatest, drug company in history. I think the pill is going to be gigantic. People are saying that the… GLP is not big, okay? Not as big as we thought… What can I say? Buy Eli Lilly.

12. Chipotle Mexican Grill, Inc. (NYSE:CMG)

Chipotle Mexican Grill, Inc. (NYSE:CMG) was on Jim Cramer’s Mad Money game plan for the week ahead. The company was mentioned during the episode, and here’s what Mad Money’s host had to say:

Oh, well, and just because I don’t want all tech, let’s throw in another one, Chipotle. I think this could have the first strong quarter in a very long time.

Chipotle Mexican Grill, Inc. (NYSE:CMG) owns and operates restaurants that provide burritos, bowls, tacos, salads, and other menu items. On March 27, responding to a caller’s query about the stock, Cramer said:

Man, I gotta tell you, I thought candidly it was going to hold at this level. This is the crunch time. It’s at $30. I think it can do so. But here’s the problem. It’s got to show some better-than-expected numbers, and it hasn’t been able to do that yet. Scott Boatwright, you must deliver a better quarter. You got one month left. April 29, you gotta deliver. Have to.

11. Alphabet Inc. (NASDAQ:GOOGL)

Alphabet Inc. (NASDAQ:GOOGL) was on Jim Cramer’s Mad Money game plan for the week ahead. Cramer mentioned the company and said:

Alphabet has a mosaic like none other: Google Search, Gemini, YouTube, Waymo, and perhaps most important, Google Cloud. I think this number could be outstanding.

Alphabet Inc. (NASDAQ:GOOGL) provides technology-related products and services, including search, advertising, cloud computing, AI tools, and digital content platforms such as YouTube and Google Play. L1 Capital stated the following regarding Alphabet Inc. (NASDAQ:GOOGL) in its Q1 2026 investor letter:

Portfolio adjustments during the March 2026 quarter were relatively modest, but deliberate. We trimmed investments in AerCap, Alphabet Inc. (NASDAQ:GOOGL), HCA Healthcare and Weir Group at prices around the top end of our assessed fair value range, with all of these businesses benefitting from positive sentiment intra-quarter. Alphabet’s share price has more than doubled over the past 12 months. This reflects strong performance in core Search, continued momentum in Google Cloud Platform, and better-than-expected progress in AI (Gemini). Today Alphabet has a market capitalisation approaching US$4 trillion. Share prices and fair value are not always aligned, even for the world’s largest companies.

10. Meta Platforms, Inc. (NASDAQ:META)

Meta Platforms, Inc. (NASDAQ:META) was on Jim Cramer’s Mad Money game plan for the week ahead. Discussing the recent layoff announcement from the company, Cramer said:

People freaked out when Meta announced a 10% layoff this week. I think that’s stupid. Mark Zuckerberg lets people go when they aren’t needed anymore. I call him the chainsaw because he’s ruthless about cutting costs. Chainsaw’s stock should have gone higher today, not lower, as Block’s stock did when Jack Dorsey did huge layoffs. This stock’s going in the wrong direction… belongs higher.

Meta Platforms, Inc. (NASDAQ:META) develops technologies and applications that connect people through social networking and messaging. The company’s portfolio includes Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp, Messenger, Threads, and virtual and augmented reality products. Montaka Global Investments stated the following regarding Meta Platforms, Inc. (NASDAQ:META) in its Q1 2026 investor letter:

The strength of an investment opportunity depends on the price at which you can acquire current and future earnings power. We see many instances today of strong competitive advantages being offered by the market at highly-attractive prices. Based on Montaka’s internal assessments, here are several:

Meta Platforms, Inc. (NASDAQ:META) — Towards the end of March, Meta’s stock price hit US$526 per share, a level that implies an enterprise value (EV) multiple of less than 13x 2026 earnings before interest and tax (EBIT). We assess this valuation multiple is far too low for a business growing revenues faster than 20% per annum and with competitive advantages as strong as Meta’s.

9. Amazon.com, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMZN)

Amazon.com, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMZN) was on Jim Cramer’s Mad Money game plan for the week ahead. Cramer noted that his Charitable Trust is “sticking” with the stock, as he stated:

Amazon reports, too, and this stock’s been soaring ever since CEO Andy Jassy put it in a letter, his vision. That’s what he did. Now, we have to worry about numbers. It could be a tall order, but we’re sticking with this one for the Charitable Trust, and we’d be, we can’t buy anymore because it’s so big for us. But if it comes in, that may be the best strategy. Do some buying then.

Amazon.com, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMZN) sells consumer goods and digital content through online and physical stores, provides advertising and subscription services, operates Amazon Web Services for cloud computing, develops electronic devices, produces media content, and offers programs supporting third-party sellers and content creators. On April 14, Cramer noted that the stock went down on various worries, which were addressed by the CEO in his annual shareholder letter, as he said:

Look, I could play the same game with Amazon with the stock that had been left for dead. At the end, this one bottomed when we heard that the web services were slowing, retail was weaker, Walmart was eating their lunch, Andy Jassy just wasn’t Jeff Bezos. Really? But then Jassy wrote a letter that explained how Amazon is doing. Next thing you know, you get 25 points. What is that about? Then it buys a satellite company, another eight points. The big disaster of Amazon, whatever it was supposed to be, it didn’t happen.

8. Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:MSFT)

Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:MSFT) was on Jim Cramer’s Mad Money game plan for the week ahead. Cramer noted that coming Wednesday is an important day as many significant tech companies report on the day, including Microsoft, and said:

Let’s go to Wednesday. Wednesday is about as consequential as any day I’ve ever seen in my career… After the close, where do I begin? We have Microsoft, which I think can surprise us with a spectacular data center number, even as I’m betting demand for Copilot remains not-so-hot. Microsoft’s been doing buyouts. We need to find out what that’s all about.

Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:MSFT) develops software, hardware, and cloud-based solutions. The company provides products like Windows, Azure, Office, LinkedIn, and Xbox. On April 21, Cramer expressed relief that his Charitable Trust stuck with the stock, as he explained:

Or how about Microsoft? Now, we’ve owned it for the Charitable Trust for ages. I’ve been looking pretty silly, frankly. We’re aware that Copilot has issues, but we’re also aware that Azure cloud infrastructure business is robust. Windows franchise remains second to none. So we held on to it. Stock’s been ugly, fell from $555 at its heights last summer to $356 at the end of March, where it began a sustained run during which all I heard was derision and how could you be so stupid to own it?… Then today, after the beginning of a nice rumble higher, an incredibly positive Citi piece of research emerges and ignites the stock… This is the first positive piece I’ve seen on Microsoft since the negativists took over the microphone… Microsoft’s enterprise software is doing incredibly well. Some product lines, sure, some are going to get hurt by Anthropic or even OpenAI, which is their partner, but it’s got a fantastic balance sheet. It can improve its AI offering, and it can take some hits, for heaven’s sake. I’m glad we didn’t dump it. First day I’ve said that in a long time. It could have been a big mistake. Stock’s back up to $424, up six bucks today. I bet you analysts come out of the woodwork and say, you know what, we really like Microsoft.

7. Starbucks Corporation (NASDAQ:SBUX)

Starbucks Corporation (NASDAQ:SBUX) was on Jim Cramer’s Mad Money game plan for the week ahead. Noting the stock has been going up, Cramer said:

And now you know what this is, this is Starbucks, and the stock’s been creeping higher. Can it sustain the move? This level’s been challenging for Starbucks, actually, but I think it’s ready to break out.

Starbucks Corporation (NASDAQ:SBUX) sells coffee, tea, and other beverages, as well as food products, through its stores and licensed outlets. The company’s brands include Starbucks Coffee, Teavana, Ethos, and Starbucks Reserve. When a caller inquired about possible headwinds for the company on February 27, Cramer said:

That’s a great question. Okay, here’s the other thing that can really hurt Starbucks, and you know, I’m a big believer and have a big position in my Charitable Trust, what can hurt them is the inability to be able to close all the stores that aren’t doing that well and then put the money towards the ones that are doing well. And… That’s how you have to get same store sales. And it’s very difficult for Brian Niccol to say, okay, that store closed, this store open. We see a lot of it in New York, by the way. He has to get the Starbucks into the middle of the country. They’re underrepresented in the middle, and they’re overrepresented in the coast. And I think he’s going to take care of that, but it just takes time.

6. Bloom Energy Corporation (NYSE:BE)

Bloom Energy Corporation (NYSE:BE) was on Jim Cramer’s Mad Money game plan for the week ahead. Cramer mentioned that he wanted to add the stock to the Charitable Trust’s portfolio, but it “just got away.”

Next, now, you might not have heard of this company, Bloom Energy, but this company makes solid oxide fuel cells, which can turn pretty much any fuel into electricity without combustion. It’s amazing. The data center operators love this stuff. Bloom could have a gigantic quarter. I wanted to buy it for the Trust. It just got away and got away and got away.

Bloom Energy Corporation (NYSE:BE) develops and sells solid-oxide fuel cell systems that convert natural gas, biogas, or hydrogen into electricity without combustion. The company also provides electrolyzers for hydrogen production. On April 22, Cramer discussed the stock’s rally and said:

Finally, there’s power and the incredible bull market in Bloom Energy, which alludes me, and of course, drives me crazy… In 1992, one of my best years, my then trader went rogue on me and decided to violate the discipline on a handful of high-fliers like the 16 stocks I just mentioned… This is an exciting energy play, can turn abundant hydrogen into electricity. Stock’s up 164% year to date, including a nearly $9 move today. $229, $229, remember that. With a stock like that, I would’ve waited for a pullback, maybe $218, maybe $200.

She (the above-mentioned trader) would insist that my discipline in this market is really going to cost me. With my attitude, my restrictions, I would never bring in Bloom Energy. So she would pick up the phone, and she would want 200,000 shares, right? She’d tell the broker this. She’d say, sweep the stock, sweep the stock to 235. But you get me in those 200,000 shares or else. That way, she got it, didn’t matter what price. That’s what you’re seeing right now. That’s what you’re seeing in a lot of these trading houses. That’s why these stocks do this.

They’re doing that kind of order. They believe in these stocks. They think we’re at the very beginning of the run. They don’t mind overpaying because they believe these stocks will get, keep climbing, climbing. And they’ve been right. Me, I’m never that certain. I wish I could be, but I’ve always maintained that discipline trumps conviction, and my discipline means refusing to chase… She’d perform a mental exercise. She would divide high-priced stocks by 10 to show me that it’s not so outlandish.

Click to continue reading and see Jim Cramer’s Week Ahead: 5 Stocks in Focus, Including Corning and Verizon.

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