Mad Money w/ Jim Cramer – September 8, 2025

Episode Overview

Jim Cramer guides listeners through a whirlwind session of market analysis, stock evaluations, and industry insights—arming investors with tools to navigate the emotional and factual volatility of Wall Street. In this highly topical episode, Cramer addresses the pitfalls of negative sentiment, highlights surprising market comebacks, unpacks the revived IPO market, offers stock picks, and welcomes Kava Group CEO Brett Schulman to discuss the dynamics of the fast-casual food industry.

1. Market Sentiment & Recent Surges

The Negativity Paradox and Bond Market Behavior

• [01:55] Cramer observes that markets are often driven by pessimists and reactionary reporting, referencing the recent doom narrative around bond yields and how fears often quickly reverse without acknowledgment.
  • Quote: “You can always find something wrong if you really want to... but when what went wrong goes right, nobody acknowledges it.” — Jim Cramer [01:55]
• Key context: The 10-year Treasury yield, previously considered a harbinger of doom, has returned to less alarming levels after weaker employment data, defusing the worst-case scenarios.

Media Scare Tactics

• [03:40] Cramer draws parallels to his days in news reporting, likening today's financial media to editors who build fear-driven stories.
  • Quote: “Everyone wants to write an interesting story. And scary is interesting.” — Jim Cramer [05:15]
• He warns that these stories can shake investors out prematurely and stresses the importance of keeping perspective.

2. Revisiting the Big Tech Bear Narratives

Alphabet/Google (GOOGL)

• [06:50] Recalls the spring’s antitrust scare, noting the stock is now thriving well above prior levels, with no apologies from those who spurred panic.
  • Quote: “The move occurred without a moment of remorse from those who said it couldn’t happen.” — Jim Cramer [07:50]

Amazon (AMZN)

• [08:30] Wall Street’s concerns about Amazon Web Services trailing Azure proved fleeting; the stock rebounded.
  • Quote: “What changed? Nothing... The market simply moved on from the bear narrative.” — Jim Cramer [08:56]

Apple (AAPL)

• [09:00] Apple was accused of running out of growth; yet, the company inked a lucrative deal with Alphabet and gained over 30 points.

Nvidia (NVDA)

• [10:00] Despite four weeks of declines and a Citi price target cut, NVDA bounced back—a reminder to own, not trade, leaders.

3. Lightning Round Highlight

• [09:42] Caller (Steve from Florida) asks about Samsara after impressive growth; Cramer praises management and warns against being shaken by negative stories.
  • Quote: “If you look hard enough, you can always find something that's wrong. I don't want to shake you out of a market where people are ginning up negative stories.” — Jim Cramer [10:13]

4. The Revived IPO Market

Market Thaw and Upcoming Deals

• [13:40] The IPO market, frozen after administration tariffs (“Liberation Day”), is hot again. Zimmer’s CEO Bill Smith is cited: “The IPO drought is over and the IPO wave is here.”
• Major upcoming IPOs:
  • Klarna (Buy Now, Pay Later juggernaut)
  • Figure Technology Solutions (blockchain home equity lines)
  • Legion Stone (HVAC, data center angle)
  • Via Transportation, Gemini (crypto exchange), BlackRock Coffee

Lessons from Recent IPO Wildness

• Cramer cautions against chasing overheated IPOs with "sliver deals" and lockup expirations (e.g., CoreWeave, Figment, Circle, Bullish).

• Quote: “The lesson here: You can be bullish, but don’t be too bullish, or you’re going to have a long wait until your stock works its way back to those inflated highs.” — Jim Cramer [19:40]

5. S&P 500 New Additions: Opportunities and Cautions

AppLovin, Robinhood & M Core

• [22:24] S&P upgrades: AppLovin (APP), Robinhood (HOOD), and M Core (EMCOR; EMCOR Group).
• AppLovin: Wild ride, turbocharged growth, but currently pricey.
  • “Even though the action the stock’s crazy, I’ve never been able to turn against this company.” — Jim Cramer [23:39]
• Robinhood: Reinventing retail trading, becoming full-service, especially strong with younger investors and in crypto trading.
  • “I bet everybody’s jealous all over Wall Street about this one.” — Jim Cramer [25:26]
• M Core: Cramer’s favorite; exposure to data center infrastructure and reshoring trends—“a very good stock.”
  • “If you expect a lot of factories to be built in the United States, well then I tell you should be buying Amcor stock.” — Jim Cramer [27:12]

6. Cramer's Stock Calls & Lightning Round

Standout Lightning Round Calls

• Fortinet (FTNT): Weakest in cybersecurity; Cramer prefers Cyberark, Palo Alto Networks, or CrowdStrike. [39:41]
• Super Micro Computer (SMCI): Cramer avoids due to accounting concerns, prefers Dell. [40:57]
• Obsidian Energies: Oil trending lower—Cramer would avoid. [41:38]
• Marvell Technology (MRVL): Guidance not impressive, would rather own Nvidia. [43:01]

7. Exclusive Interview: Brett Schulman, CEO of Kava Group

Menu Innovation & Consumer Trends

• [32:54] - 39:32

  • Kava’s approach: “Strike that balance... bring our guests new, innovative culinary, because we know they love when we bring them new items.” — Brett Schulman [33:09]

  • Expansion is strong: “We see equal receptivity, no matter the region... in every market in the country.” [36:36]

  • Value proposition: Underpricing CPI to stay consumer-friendly, absorbing tariff-related costs, and investing in operational efficiency rather than passing costs along. [34:50–36:04]

  • National expansion shows “proven portability” for the Mediterranean fast-casual concept.

  • Delivery channel, Doordash, and value communication: “We want to put the remote control in your hands... channel agnostic.” [37:16]

  • Menu developments: New chicken shawarma, cinnamon pita chips coming soon.

  • Memorable moment: Cramer admits he features Kava in his new book and vouches for the company's long-term quality and resilience, dismissing overreliance on price-to-earnings multiples in this case.

8. AI & Workforce: Reality vs Hype

• [43:37] Cramer bluntly questions the present economic impact of AI on workforce efficiency, layoffs, and company performance.

  • Highlights that, aside from coding, practical gains are murky; chatbot tech is error-prone, sources are limited, and earnings boosts are rare outside of isolated cases (e.g., Salesforce layoffs).

  • Warns that the next leap will come only with more reliable AI and the integration of generative reasoning.

  • Quote: “What we have now is too small a matter to all but a handful of companies. It would be refreshing if someone just admit it, but everyone’s too busy claiming success to admit this doesn’t seem to be going anywhere specific right now, at least for the moment.” — Jim Cramer [47:41]

9. Notable Quotes & Moments

• “Those who talked and wrote and screamed about skyrocketing interest rates had no price to pay... but it did hurt a lot of pocketbooks and wallets. Maybe yours.” — Jim Cramer [04:34]
• “The house of pain” — His catchphrase reminding listeners of groupthink-driven selloffs. [07:30]
• “Maybe if you’re my age, you use Fidelity or Schwab. Your kids are probably more likely to trust Robinhood. ...It just came out of nowhere and it’s killing it.” — Jim Cramer [26:06]
• “Bring those [Kava cinnamon pita chips] by every afternoon and I begin a real lift.” — Jim Cramer [39:21] (light-hearted closure to the Kava interview)

10. Timestamps for Key Segments

• [01:55] Opening remarks & media negativity
• [06:50] Big Tech bear narratives rebutted (Alphabet, Amazon, Apple, Nvidia)
• [09:42] Samsara call: how to respond to negative noise
• [13:40] Deep dive into the revived IPO market and investor pitfalls
• [22:24] Reviewing S&P 500 new additions: AppLovin, Robinhood, M Core
• [30:04] Call with enthusiastic investor Robert on Levchin Farm
• [32:54] Exclusive interview: Brett Schulman (Kava Group)
• [39:41] Lightning Round (stocks: FTNT, SMCI, Obsidian, Marvell)
• [43:37] AI, workforce disruption, and what’s real vs. hype

Conclusion

This episode blends sharp skepticism about fear-driven market narratives with actionable optimism about resilient companies and sectors. Cramer urges listeners to focus on fundamentals, remain cautious in overheated IPO markets, and watch for real, not hyped, tech disruption. Notably, his conversation with Kava's Brett Schulman highlights how innovation and value-rooted business models can outlast even sharp market pullbacks.