Jun 17, 2026 · 44 min
Cramer tracks new market leaders beyond mega-cap tech
Mad Money w/ Jim Cramer 6/17/26
The episode tests whether leadership is broadening into industrial, energy, food, and financial companies as investors reassess digital transformation and strategic combinations.
- 1Technology leadership extends beyond hyperscalers as analysts repeatedly raise targets for emerging winners.
- 2SLB’s AI-powered oilfield strategy and Ford’s battery-storage business frame industrial transformation as an investment thesis.
- 3Banks are emerging as quiet market leaders, while merger and turnaround stories remain uneven across food and healthcare.
Don't miss
Olivier Le Peuch explains how SLB combines software, AI, automation, and NVIDIA partnerships to improve drilling and recovery across global basins.
The brief
Cramer opens by arguing that market leadership is spreading beyond the major technology hyperscalers, with repeated analyst target increases powering gains in other technology names.
The episode turns to companies with troubled histories but possible new directions, including Marriott, ADM, and Tyson, before examining Ford’s emerging battery-storage business.
SLB CEO Olivier Le Peuch describes how software, AI, automation, and NVIDIA partnerships are reshaping drilling, recovery, efficiency, and energy security across global basins.
Ingredion and Tate & Lyle pitch their proposed combination as a way to build scale in texture, wellness, reformulation, affordability, and food science.
The closing market argument is that banks have quietly become leaders, even as Cramer acknowledges the sector’s historically inconsistent rallies and mixed consolidation calls.
What was said on this episode
29 statements · 25 positive · 4 negative
Memory-chip shortages are driving repeated price increases and raising device costs.
“These companies can't make them fast enough. They keep putting through price increase after price increase after price increase, and they are making many devices we use more expensive.”
Listen at 1:53
Analyst price-target increases are repeatedly pushing shortage-related stocks higher.
“Almost every day an analyst who hasn't kept pace with these stocks runs raises their price targets for each of these. Then the next analyst has to raise the price targets.”
Listen at 2:17
DRAM shortages have driven major gains in memory-related stocks.
“These are phenomenal gains based on shortages for DRAMs”
Listen at 2:48
Investors should not automatically avoid shortage stocks after large rallies.
“I'm now convinced that that's the wrong way to approach some of these stocks.”
Listen at 4:14
CPU demand may eventually produce shortages resembling current DRAM shortages.
“I think CPUs may end up being like the DRAMs are now”
Listen at 7:40
Intel’s stock is expected to rise.
“when it comes to Intel, I think the answer is up.”
Listen at 8:09
Investors should buy Marriott whenever its stock declines.
“Every time Marriott goes down, literally, if you take a look at the chart, you have to pull the trigger.”
Listen at 8:39
Marriott is the strongest hotel company.
“Marriott is the best.”
Listen at 8:50
Cramer favors Archer Daniels Midland and Tyson Foods as investments.
“I like Archer Daniels Midland and I like Tyson Food.”
Listen at 11:07
Digitalization can substantially transform energy operations.
“digital has a role to play to completely shift and change the way this industry operates.”
Listen at 14:05
Digital technology can improve oil-industry performance and recovery.
“digital can lift a lot in the industry.”
Listen at 15:22
SLB’s digital business is becoming an additional earnings-growth engine.
“This is adding a new earnings growth engine to the company.”
Listen at 15:50
Autonomous drilling in Libya halved drilling time and increased reservoir access.
“The time we spent to drill the well was half, and the net reservoir pay that we accessed was significantly higher than in previous wells.”
Listen at 18:22
Customer adoption of SLB’s digital technologies is expected to accelerate.
“And we expect this to accelerate. going forward.”
Listen at 20:45
Oil companies can increase profits by adopting SLB technology.
“This is how they're going to make more money, is by bringing in the technology of SLB”
Listen at 20:54
Ford can become a significant battery-storage supplier over time.
“In time, I believe that Ford can legitimately become a real player in the battery storage space.”
Listen at 24:39
Ford’s battery business will not materially improve the stock immediately.
“I love what Ford is doing with the battery business. I really do. But it's not going to give you much lift right now.”
Listen at 26:29
Ford’s battery business makes the stock more attractive over two to three years.
“If you're thinking longer term, though, I mean, I'm talking about like two, three years. That's not that long. Well, it sure does make Ford a more attractive investment.”
Listen at 26:36
Investors should buy Ford Motor if oil and interest rates decline.
“you've got my blessing for the first time in many years to buy the stock of Ford Motor.”
Listen at 26:55
Oracle and CoreWeave are burdened by substantial debt.
“It's got so much debt. See, that's the problem.”
Listen at 27:31
Ingredion’s Tate & Lyle acquisition will create a leading ingredients company.
“this is a huge deal that will create a powerhouse in the ingredients space.”
Listen at 29:41
Fair Isaac may be harmed by AI, so Cramer avoids recommending it.
“I like the company, but I'm not going to go there because I'm not going to get in the crosshairs anymore of these companies that might get hurt by AI.”
Listen at 36:45
Clover Health remains a valid speculative investment.
“But yeah, as a spec, that one was right. That one was right.”
Listen at 37:29
Investors should limit Vistra purchases to roughly 25% of a position.
“I would only put on like 25% of my position, but it's too low.”
Listen at 38:20
Banks have become a new leadership group in the market.
“This market has quietly picked up a new leadership cohort, the banks.”
Listen at 40:17
Banks generally perform better when interest rates are moderately higher.
“banks tend to do better in a moderately higher interest rate environment.”
Listen at 40:53
Banks earn substantial profits from bond issuance with minimal risk.
“Banks profit immensely from these bond issues, and they have almost no risk whatsoever.”
Listen at 42:02
Banks with strong AI technology should acquire smaller rivals.
“If a bank has tremendous AI technology, it should be rolling up its smaller rivals right now.”
Listen at 42:52
J.P. Morgan and Wells Fargo could rise substantially while remaining reasonably valued.
“with a relatively cheap bank like J.P. Morgan or even a Wells Fargo, they can very well go up much more before they're even considered reasonably priced”
Listen at 43:25
Statements are attributed to the speaker as said on the episode and reflect their view at the time, not PodLume's. They are not advice.
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