By Stockpickr Staff
Posted at 11:42 a.m. on March 5, from March 4, 2009

Investors are back! After a long five-day selloff, markets were up Wednesday on Wall Street’s optimistic response to a possible Chinese economic stimulus package. Industrial and commodity stocks benefited the most with Caterpillar (CAT), a major Chinese exporter, jumping 13%.

But not all stocks fared well. General Electric (GE) was the biggest drag on the Dow, sliding 4.6%. After cutting its dividend last week, shares are down more than 25% since Friday as investors worry that the conglomerate is in need of a capital infusion and will lose its AAA credit rating.

On the earnings front, Costco (COST) announced second quarter profits dropped 27% due to weakened sales and slimmer margins. Conversely, fellow Portland-based club store, BJ Wholesale (BJ), reported a 5% increase in profit as cost conscious consumers turned to wholesale clubs for deals.

With this in mind, we thought we'd take a look at some of the stocks people have been searching for on TheStreet.com and see what Jim Cramer's had to say about them lately.

These stocks could be in the news for a number of reasons. Some require immediate attention while others may not. Regardless, it never hurts to hear what Cramer (or any of the other professional investors on the site) has to say about them. The key is to gather as much information as you can in order to make the most informed investment decisions you can.


In a recent post to his RealMoney blog, Cramer had this to say about U.S. Bancorp (USB) and the role of banks in a rally:


"The darn banks aren't complying with Doug Kass' call! I look at the best of the best, and I shudder to think that Obama has caved to the AFL-CIO, which wants nationalization, as well as to the populist rhetoric to string up the bankers.

Wells Fargo (WFC), JPMorgan (JPM) and U.S. Bancorp are going to be the battle lines here. They don't have China going for them, as the minerals and infrastructure plays have. They don't have oil going for them, which can be a powerful driver. They don't have the balance sheets going for them, a la tech (although it sure doesn't matter when the herd thunders out of Pepsi (PEP) and General Mills (GIS), and they have the government dead against them.

"I keep thinking back to what Sheila Bair said to me at the Town Hall meeting last week. She made it very clear that if we adjust interest rates for most of the "whole loans" that are owned by the banks -- typically higher quality than those that were syndicated -- they can make it without being nationalized. But they sure act as if the hidden agenda in the mortgage bill is to strip these banks of the right to enforce contracts involving mortgages in any case that a borrower might want.

"You know my plan: 4% for everybody with a cut in mortgage principal coupled with a certificate of equity that gives the banks a fighting chance to stay alive because it counts as capital. It's not radical. It is part of my forbearance plan that, when coupled with giving the banks -- even Citigroup (C) and Bank of America (BAC) -- credit in return for a promise to pay, could improve things mightily, especially with the TALF plan to get-asset backed securities moving. Citigroup may already be too far gone thanks to Geithner's relentless quest to have no guidance and no plan, a la Lehman, Bear, Fannie (FNM) and Freddie (FRE), Washington Mutual and AIG (AIG).

"But nationalization is a totally unacceptable alternative that the president simply hasn't taken off the table.

"I reiterate that there can be NO RALLY WITH STAYING POWER without JPM/WFC/USB going up. In fact, these are too easily pushed down by the ProShares UltraBear Financials (SKF)!

"No banks, no rally. I just want to keep that front and center for Doug to mull and you to decide."

In Thursday morning trading, U.S. Bancorp was down $1.83, or 16.6%, at $9.18.

For more of what Cramer's had to say about Wednesday's top-searched stocks, including Aetna (AET), Research in Motion (RIMM) and Energizer (ENR), check out the Cramer's Take portfolio on Stockpickr.

(Editor's note: At the time of publication and/or original publication of his posts and shows, Cramer owned Caterpillar, JPMorgan, Wells Fargo, General Mills and Pepsi for his Action Alerts PLUS charitable trust.)

Who’s on Stockpickr Answers? David MacDougall will be on Stockpickr Answers on March 5 to respond to investing and trading questions posed by members of the Stockpickr community. Not a member? Join the Stockpickr community today -- free.

P.S. Where is Cramer putting his own money? Take a free peek at his personal portfolio to see all his buys and sells by clicking here. When you do, Jim will also send you exclusive email alerts telling you everything he’s about to add to or shed from his Action Alerts PLUS portfolio -- before he makes his trade.