Business

Jim Cramer Calls Intel (INTC) the Best Stock in Show and Micron (MU) No. 2

Published

2 hours ago

20 September 2026

Jim Cramer Prefers Palo Alto (PANW) Over SentinelOne (S)

Jim Cramer put Intel Corporation (NASDAQ:INTC) and Micron Technology, Inc. (NASDAQ:MU) at the top of his technology stock list during the September 17 episode of Mad Money, as he said:

Yesterday, I said that people would buy tech. We got that in spades today. I continue to recommend the cybersecurity stocks, and I’d add Okta to the list because rogue agents cannot be stopped unless we can identify them first. That’s Okta’s job. I still think that Intel, as I tell club members, is the best stock in show, and Micron, number two… Both their products are in short supply. I just bought some Micron, candidly.

Jim Cramer Calls Intel (INTC) the Best Stock in Show and Micron (MU) No. 2 — Jim Cramer on Seanergy Maritime (SHIP): “I’d Be a Buyer”

Intel’s Product Recovery Meets a Costly Foundry Buildout

Intel Corporation’s (NASDAQ:INTC) second-quarter revenue rose 25% year over year to $16.1 billion, while Data Center and AI revenue increased 59% to $6.3 billion. Intel Products generated $4.8 billion of operating income in the second quarter, up from $2.7 billion a year earlier, while Data Center and AI operating income increased $1.8 billion to $2.5 billion.

The company said client supply constraints are expected to ease in the second half of 2026, while industry-wide constraints affecting Data Center and AI products are expected to persist into 2027.

Micron’s Margins Show the Value of Tight Supply

Micron Technology, Inc.’s (NASDAQ:MU) fiscal third-quarter GAAP operating margin reached 80.4%, up from 67.6% in the prior quarter and 23.3% a year earlier. Its non-GAAP operating margin was 81.2%. Operating cash flow reached $25.4 billion. The company also said DRAM inventories were “very tight and below 120 days.”

Intel CEO Lip-Bu Tan offered a broader view of the memory shortage on September 15. He said capacity was “very limited,” that “many projects are being delayed because they cannot secure enough memory,” and that memory prices had risen five to seven times. He noted, “It actually happened, and the situation will get worse.”

Bear Case is About Execution and Normalization

Intel Corporation’s (NASDAQ:INTC) financial risk is the gap between improving product economics and the cost of its manufacturing strategy. Intel Foundry generated $5.8 billion of revenue in Q2 although roughly $5.5 billion came from intersegment transactions and just $293 million was external revenue. The segment posted a $2.1 billion operating loss, compared with a $3.2 billion loss a year earlier.

Micron Technology, Inc. (NASDAQ:MU) faces the opposite side of the memory cycle. Its 80.4% GAAP operating margin is more than three times the year-earlier level, leaving earnings exposed to a deterioration in memory pricing or supply conditions. At the same time, it spent $7.1 billion on net capital expenditures in the fiscal third quarter, adding capacity while the market remains tight.

Business

China keeps benchmark lending rates unchanged for 16th month in September

Published

6 minutes ago

20 September 2026

NewsAdmin

China keeps benchmark lending rates unchanged for 16th month in September

Business

Why Ethereum Jumped 5.8% Today

Published

19 minutes ago

20 September 2026

NewsAdmin

The Ethereum (CRYPTO: ETH) cryptocurrency is up 5.8% at 2:17 p.m. ET, floating atop a broad surge across the crypto sector. It’s the kind of day where you almost expect stablecoins to rise, as the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) moved one step closer to permitting token-based trading of stock-type securities.

And Ethereum would benefit directly if tokenized stocks ever get the SEC’s final stamp of approval. The news is a day old, but traders needed time to process the situation after a tumultuous week in which the Clarity Act failed to move forward.

Missed AI’s “Act 1”? Act 2 Could Be 15x Bigger. Most investors think they missed the AI boat because they didn’t buy Nvidia in 2005. But according to our analysts, we’re only at the end of “Act 1″—the R&D phase. “Act 2” is the global rollout. Continue »

What an “Innovation Exemption” actually does

The SEC is allowing a new kind of venue to trade blockchain versions of regularly listed stocks without first registering as a stock exchange. It’s temporary, it’s capped, and it comes with strings attached.

This isn’t retail investors buying tokenized stocks on a public blockchain tomorrow. It’s explicitly a placeholder for further announcements. The tokenized securities venue (TSV) designation is essentially a bold but limited experiment.

TSVs come with a five-year sunset; the public comment period is open; and SEC Chairman Paul Atkins frames them as a bridge to actual rulemaking. In other words, the SEC wants to see how this behaves in the wild before writing permanent rules.

But it is a baby step forward for the general concept of tokenized stock trading. That’s good news for Ethereum, because the SEC’s order requires that smart contracts used by a TSV run on a public, permissionless distributed ledger. That’s a short list, and Ethereum is the clear leader in this space.

Image source: The Motley Fool.

Ethereum’s angle

Two caveats before chasing Ethereum down the TSV alley:

First, this is mostly a round trip. Ether traded near $2,597 before the Senate’s Clarity Act vote failed on Sept. 15, and it’s barely above that now.
Second, no TSV exists yet. Volume caps and a five-year expiration make this an option on tokenized equities rather than a solid revenue stream.

That makes Ethereum a bet on being the default settlement layer if tokenized stocks are approved and then scale up to broad adoption. It’s a promising but unproven idea, and the SEC is still years from a permanent rulebook.

Don’t expect this particular announcement to make a significant difference to Ethereum’s fundamental value. This could take a long time, as the five-year policy sunset suggests.

Business

This Diamondback Insider Is One of the World’s Richest People. She Just Sold $2 Billion of Stock.

Published

26 minutes ago

20 September 2026

NewsAdmin

This Diamondback Insider Is One of the World’s Richest People. She Just Sold $2 Billion of Stock.

Business

S&P 500, Nasdaq Turn Positive Heading Into Final Hour of Trading

Published

32 minutes ago

20 September 2026

NewsAdmin

Stocks Little Changed After Fed Decision

A majority of S&P 500 stocks were still down, though sector breadth was improving. At one point, all 11 S&P 500 sectors were down. Heading into the final hour of trading, more than half the major sectors were up. Industrials, tech, financials, consumer discretionary, and health care were leading the pack.

Business

Dollar Erases Early Gains on Weak US Economic News

Published

39 minutes ago

20 September 2026

NewsAdmin

Dollar Erases Early Gains on Weak US Economic News

A one dollar bill floating in water by Wirestock via iStock

The dollar index (DXY00) fell from a 7-week high on Friday and finished down by -0.03%. The dollar gave its advance on Friday on weaker-than-expected US economic news that showed Aug manufacturing production and Aug leading indicators unexpectedly declined. Also, Friday’s -1% fall in WTI crude oil eased inflation expectations and could persuade the Fed to loosen monetary policy, a bearish factor for the dollar.

The dollar initially moved higher on Friday on weakness in the yen, which fell to a 2-week low today. Higher T-note yields on Friday also supported the dollar. The dollar also has carryover support from Wednesday when the FOMC raised interest rates by 25 bp and signaled another rate hike by the end of the year. The dollar fell from its best level after US

More News from Barchart

US Aug manufacturing production unexpectedly fell -0.3% m/m, weaker than expectations of +0.3% m/m and the largest decline in 10 months.

US Aug leading indicators unexpectedly fell -0,1%, weaker than expectations of a +0.1% increase and the first decline in 5 months.

Markets are pricing in a 55% chance of a +25 bp Fed rate hike at the next FOMC meeting on October 27-28.

EUR/USD (^EURUSD) recovered from a 7-week low on Friday and finished up by +0.10%. Short covering emerged in the euro on Friday after the dollar index fell from a 7-week high and turned lower. The euro also garnered support after German Aug producer prices rose more than expected, a hawkish factor for ECB policy. Also, ECB President Lagarde’s comments today supported the euro when she said economic growth in the Eurozone is a bit more promising than we thought.

The ECB Aug 1-year CPI expectations rose to +3.0% from +2.9% in July, weaker than expectations of +3.1%. The Aug 3-year CPI expectations rose to +2.9% from +2.7% in July, stronger than expectations of +2.8%.

German Aug PPI rose +1.1% m/m and +4.6% y/y, stronger than expectations of +0.6% m/m and +3.9% y/y, with the +4.6% y/y increase the largest in 3.25 years.

ECB President Christine Lagarde said economic growth in the Eurozone is a bit more promising than we thought, and we’re not seeing second-round effects on inflation yet.

The markets are discounting a 62% chance of a +25 bp ECB rate hike at the ECB’s next policy meeting on October 29.

USD/JPY (^USDJPY) rose by +0.41% on Friday. The yen tumbled to a 2-week low against the dollar on Friday, despite the BOJ raising interest rates by 25 bp, as two BOJ members dissented and wanted no change in interest rates, signaling opposition to tighter BOJ policy. Also, Friday’s weaker-than-expected Japan Aug national CPI report was dovish for BOJ policy and undercut the yen. In addition, higher T-note yields on Friday also weighed on the yen. The yen recovered from its worst level on Friday after crude oil prices fell more than -1%, a positive factor for Japan’s economy and the yen, as Japan imports more than 90% of its energy.

Japan’s Aug national CPI rose +1.9% y/y, unchanged from July and weaker than expectations of +2.0% y/y. Aug national CPI ex-fresh food and energy rose +1.9% y/y, unchanged from July and weaker than expectations of +2.0% y/y.

As expected, the BOJ raised its overnight call rate today by 25 bp to 1.25% from 1.00% in a 7-2 vote, and BOJ Governor Kazuo Ueda said the BOJ intends to keep raising the rate in response to economic and price conditions.

Markets are pricing in an 18% chance of a +25 bp BOJ rate hike at the next policy meeting on October 30.

Published

1 hour ago

20 September 2026

NewsAdmin

Jim Cramer sends strong warning to stock market investors

An old Wall Street adage just got a fresh test.

“Don’t fight the Fed” has guided generations of investors through rate cycles both gentle and brutal. This time, it came roaring back into the conversation after the central bank made its first major policy shift in more than three years.

Jim Cramer wasted no time translating what happened into plain language for viewers watching at home. His verdict landed within hours of the decision, and it was blunt enough to make anyone holding stocks in their portfolio pay very close attention.

Jim Cramer says don’t fight the Fed

Cramer delivered his warning on Sept. 16 on “Mad Money,” just hours after the Federal Reserve raised its benchmark federal funds rate by a quarter percentage point to a range of 3.75% to 4%.

“If you buy stocks here, you’re now officially fighting the Federal Reserve,” Cramer said, invoking the old adage that ignoring it tends to hurt returns.

It was the first hike since July 2023. More than three years without one, according to CNBC.

Warsh did not dress it up at the press conference.

“The plain fact is that inflation is too high, and has been for too long,” he said. The increase, he added, was meant to support a more timely return to the 2% target.

More Jim Cramer:

Trump reacted within hours, posting that he wanted interest rates at 1% “or less,” while telling reporters he still had confidence in Warsh. Before the decision, Trump had called committee members pushing for a hike “clowns,” CNBC reported.

Markets had been higher going into the decision. Warsh started talking, and that changed. The Dow dropped roughly 650 points. The S&P 500 and Nasdaq held up better. Rate hikes do not hit every sector the same way, and that showed up in the tape immediately.

Inside the Fed’s first hike in 3 years

The decision itself was unanimous. The Federal Open Market Committee voted 12-0 to lift the target range a quarter point, with Warsh notably declining to submit his own dot in the committee’s quarterly projections, Fortune reported.

The dot plot was not reassuring. The median official now sees the funds rate ending 2026 at 4.1%, up from 3.8% in June. That implies one more hike this year. Four members wanted two more. Only two saw no further increases. The committee that just raised rates is already signaling it is not done.

Cramer has drawn a pointed comparison between Warsh and his predecessor in recent commentary. He noted Warsh lived through the 2008 financial crisis as a Fed governor and was outspoken during the 2018 hiking cycle, arguing that experience makes him less likely to repeat Jerome Powell’s mistake of raising rates too far into a visibly weakening market, according to TheStreet.

Jim Cramer delivered his warning on Sept. 16 on “Mad Money,” just hours after the Fed raised its benchmark federal funds rate.Bloomberg / Getty Images

Why higher rates are squeezing stocks

The mechanical problem for stocks is fairly straightforward once you break it down.

Higher rates make borrowing more expensive across the economy and push bond yields up, making fixed income more competitive with equities for investment dollars. The 10-year Treasury yield sitting above 5%, its highest level since 2007, now looks like a genuinely attractive risk-free alternative to a growing number of investors, CNBC reported.

Cramer sees this as just the beginning of a longer squeeze. “Every hike from here on will be something that will knock down stocks,” he said, arguing the Sept. 16 move likely opens a series of increases that will continue until oil prices and inflation genuinely cool off.

Wall Street strategists are not entirely aligned on how bad the eventual damage will be. Barclays raised its year-end S&P 500 target to 7,950 from 7,800 after a standout second-quarter earnings season led by technology, while flagging higher rates and inflation as ongoing risks.

Goldman Sachs, Citigroup, and JPMorgan each project the S&P 500 will end the year at or above 8,000 despite anticipating further increases before year-end, according to TheStreet.

Ed Yardeni had been calling for 8,400 on the S&P 500 this year. He just moved that to mid-2027. Higher rates and higher bond yields changed the math.

Cramer’s take on what investors should do now

Cramer was careful to stop short of telling viewers to abandon the market altogether. He said the universe of stocks capable of performing well in a tightening cycle is shrinking, but pointed to defensive sectors like pharmaceuticals as examples of groups that can still work even as the Fed continues to tighten.

Not everyone on Wall Street is selling the fear. Some analysts say the market is overreading the headline and the investors who get hurt are the ones who sell good businesses because a central banker raised rates by 25 basis points.

Cramer’s own bottom line ultimately split the difference between caution and outright panic.

“I think the buyers will come back,” he said, “but a lot of groups simply don’t work as long as Kevin Warsh is on the warpath.”

His parting message for viewers was simple and easy to remember: fewer stocks to buy, fewer to hold, and considerably more to sell until the inflation picture genuinely and convincingly improves.

This story was originally published by TheStreet on Sep 18, 2026, where it first appeared in the Investing section. Add TheStreet as a Preferred Source by clicking here.