Mad Money 08/31/26 | Audio Only

Watch on YouTube ↗  |  August 31, 2026 at 23:59  |  44:19  |  CNBC
Speakers
Jim Cramer — Host, Mad Money
Bob Lang — Founder, ExplosiveOptions.net
Jennifer Scanlon — President and CEO, UL Solutions

Summary

Jim Cramer reviews August's biggest winners and losers, emphasizing the unwinding of a tech-focused hedge fund's short book and its impact on enterprise software. He focuses on buying opportunities in Viking Holdings, copper miners, UL Solutions, and Apple, while warning on California utilities and other damaged names. A copper technical segment with Bob Lang argues copper strength signals a healthy economy. The episode also includes lightning round calls and a retrospective on Tim Cook's Apple tenure.

  • August was mostly flat but dominated by the unwinding of a $45B hedge fund's tech short positions.
  • Enterprise software names like Palantir, Veeva, Salesforce, ServiceNow, and Gartner bounced hard as short pressure lifted.
  • California utilities Edison International and PG&E fell on wildfire liability legislation risk.
  • Viking Holdings is called a best-of-breed cruise buying opportunity after a post-earnings dip.
  • Bob Lang's copper charts support Freeport-McMoRan, Southern Copper, and Hudbay Minerals.
  • UL Solutions CEO defends strong free cash flow, margins, data center testing, and Japan auto opportunities.
  • Cramer's lightning round includes bullish comments on Arista Networks, Teradyne, and Energy Transfer, and cautious Boeing.
  • A tribute to Tim Cook argues Apple deserves more credit for services, buybacks, and ecosystem strength.
Ideas
Jim Cramer Host, Mad Money 1:46
Moderna melanoma vaccine breakthrough can go higher.
Cramer says the heavily shorted melanoma vaccine developer Moderna produced the exact breakthrough bulls expected, working with Merck on a vaccine for people who have beaten melanoma once; he thinks the stock still has huge potential to go higher.
Jim Cramer Host, Mad Money 2:16
Palantir profitable growth was unjustly sold.
Cramer argues Palantir never deserved to fall because its revenue growth plus profit margin sums to 155 on the rule of 40, making it hard to sell such profitable growth.
Jim Cramer Host, Mad Money 2:39
Veeva bounced as short pressure disappeared.
Veeva, healthcare enterprise software, bounced with the broader enterprise software group after the hedge fund that had been shorting it blew up and stopped pressuring the group.
Jim Cramer Host, Mad Money 3:01
Salesforce blowout quarter crushed shorts.
Salesforce took on short sellers with rhetoric and then a blowout quarter that obliterated the shorts, showing its business has not been hurt by the so-called SaaS apocalypse.
Jim Cramer Host, Mad Money 3:34
Agnico Eagle has better gold land.
Gold has been strong all year, and Cramer prefers Agnico Eagle over Newmont because he believes Agnico Eagle has better land; Newmont is the classic gold-stock proxy.
Jim Cramer Host, Mad Money 3:51
ServiceNow AI integration can drive stock.
ServiceNow was supposed to be crushed by AI, but it has successfully integrated AI into its daily business; with the short-selling hedge fund gone, the stock can roar without artificial pressure.
Jim Cramer Host, Mad Money 4:43
Gartner business not displaced by AI.
Gartner was in the crosshairs of the AI displacement thesis, but its business is not actually being displaced, which is why the stock bounced 31%.
Jim Cramer Host, Mad Money 5:16
DaVita's fundamentals are deteriorating.
DaVita was crushed by a bad forecast as revenue per treatment fell, commercial mix deteriorated, and patient care costs stayed high; it had the worst month in the S&P 500.
Jim Cramer Host, Mad Money 5:37
Edison International uninvestable on wildfire liability.
California legislation may put wildfire liabilities on utilities, making Edison International uninvestable; the stock dropped 23% in one day.
Jim Cramer Host, Mad Money 6:01
No catalyst while Amazon pressures Trade Desk.
Amazon has slowed The Trade Desk's once-fast digital advertising growth, and Cramer sees no catalyst for the stock to come back because Amazon is unlikely to let up, even if the selling looks somewhat overdone.
Jim Cramer Host, Mad Money 6:48
Honeywell Aerospace lacks credibility.
Cramer says Honeywell Aerospace deserves worst-of-quarter status after the CEO repeatedly assured investors things were good when they were actually terrible; he does not recommend the company because there is no credibility.
Jim Cramer Host, Mad Money 7:13
AppLovin AI displacement fears are wrong.
Short sellers believe AppLovin will be replaced by AI, but Cramer disagrees, implying the AI displacement thesis that hit the stock is wrong.
Jim Cramer Host, Mad Money 7:45
Tapestry decline is overreaction; buy now.
Cramer says the decline in Tapestry was a pure overreaction common in retail last month; he thinks the well-run shop is a buy now after falling 19% in August.
Jim Cramer Host, Mad Money 7:57
Stay away from Evergy utility.
Evergy missed earnings and carries high interest expense; Cramer says the market is not ready for that utility and watching an 18% monthly decline tells him to stay away.
Jim Cramer Host, Mad Money 8:18
SanDisk buybacks win; Western Digital lags.
SanDisk and Western Digital are in the same storage business yet diverged: SanDisk has the most aggressive buyback in the market and buybacks worked, while Western Digital fell on a fine quarter as momentum fractured and data centers became political footballs.
Jim Cramer Host, Mad Money 8:18
SanDisk buybacks win; Western Digital lags.
SanDisk and Western Digital are in the same storage business yet diverged: SanDisk has the most aggressive buyback in the market and buybacks worked, while Western Digital fell on a fine quarter as momentum fractured and data centers became political footballs.
Jim Cramer Host, Mad Money 9:21
Let AMD rest run, Lisa Su executes.
Cramer likes that the caller trimmed AMD and says to let the rest run because Lisa Su has done everything right; the stock is up more than 100% this year and is difficult to sell despite its size.
Jim Cramer Host, Mad Money 10:00
Own Arista Networks, still triple bullish.
Cramer is still a bull, in fact a triple bull, on Arista Networks and says you have to own it.
Jim Cramer Host, Mad Money 12:50
Buy Viking dip on strong bookings.
Viking pulled back from $110 to $86 despite a strong quarter, 96% of 2026 capacity sold, strong 2027 bookings, and best-in-class balance sheet; the voucher hit is an investment in customer loyalty and overdone, so Cramer would buy the dip at 26.5x earnings for 25% earnings growth.
Bob Lang Founder, ExplosiveOptions.net 20:17
Copper demand and charts support upside.
Copper prices are up 18% year to date and 48% over 12 months, driven by data center buildout and strong demand; the charts say the economy is in good shape and there could be more upside.
Bob Lang Founder, ExplosiveOptions.net 21:51
Freeport chart setup targets $100.
Freeport McMoRan chart shows higher highs and lows, strong-volume breakout, MACD buy signal, bullish flag, and TTM squeeze in explosive volatility; Lang sees a breakout above $75 to $80, then $100, with heavy October call buying.
Bob Lang Founder, ExplosiveOptions.net 24:22
Southern Copper favorite, breakout targets $250.
Southern Copper is Lang's favorite copper stock with the largest reserves, higher highs and lows, MACD buy signal, 200-day support test, and extremely bullish TTM squeeze; if it breaks out, he sees $250.
Bob Lang Founder, ExplosiveOptions.net 25:28
Hudbay chart can run to 50.
Hudbay Minerals chart shows a modest uptrend, a bounce off the 200-day, break through the 50-day, and positive TTM/MACD; once June highs near 44 are taken out, Lang sees a straight shot to 50.
Jim Cramer Host, Mad Money 26:43
USA Rare Earth works as speculation.
Cramer agrees USA Rare Earth should be doing better given it produces needed materials, but the market is not favoring money-losing companies; he likes it as a speculation.
Jim Cramer Host, Mad Money 27:19
Buy FedEx Freight before big move.
Cramer likes FedEx Freight and says the spin-off is finally working through unwanted supply; he started early but thinks it is consolidating before a big move, so he would buy some.
Jennifer Scanlon President and CEO, UL Solutions 28:29
UL Solutions sell-off is buying opportunity.
UL Solutions posted record revenue, 6.6% organic growth, 20% free cash flow growth, and continuing margin expansion; data center safety and certification, 800V DC architecture, Japan auto lab, and tariff resilience support the bullish case after the stock's sharp sell-off.
Jim Cramer Host, Mad Money 37:16
Teradyne near-monopoly testing business.
Teradyne is a near-monopoly semiconductor testing equipment company that has cooled off; Cramer agrees it is right to own with a great, unassailable business not quite a monopoly.
Jim Cramer Host, Mad Money 38:04
Wait for Boeing to break $200.
Boeing remains snake-bit and oil spikes pressure it; Cramer wants to stay on the sidelines until Boeing breaks above $200, which could happen because it is so despised, and if it does not, the stock will have priced in a strike.
Jim Cramer Host, Mad Money 39:12
Energy Transfer 6% yield still works.
Cramer thinks Energy Transfer still makes sense at a 6% yield and would like to buy on a downturn, though that downturn never seems to come.
Jim Cramer Host, Mad Money 39:59
Apple's services, buybacks, ecosystem remain strong.
Apple under Tim Cook grew iPhone market share, built a $100B services stream, bought back over 40% of shares, and maintains a pristine balance sheet; AI criticism is overblown and the company deserves more credit.
Up Next

This CNBC video, published August 31, 2026, features Jim Cramer, Bob Lang, Jennifer Scanlon discussing MRNA, PLTR, VEEV, CRM, AEM, NOW, IT, DVA, EIX, TTD, Honeywell Aerospace, APP, TPR, EVRG, SNDK, WDC, AMD, ANET, VIK, COPPER, FCX, SCCO, HBM, USA Rare Earth, FedEx Freight, ULS, TER, BA, ET, AAPL. 30 trade ideas extracted by AI with direction and confidence scoring.

Speakers: Jim Cramer, Bob Lang, Jennifer Scanlon  · Tickers: MRNA, PLTR, VEEV, CRM, AEM, NOW, IT, DVA, EIX, TTD, Honeywell Aerospace, APP, TPR, EVRG, SNDK, WDC, AMD, ANET, VIK, COPPER, FCX, SCCO, HBM, USA Rare Earth, FedEx Freight, ULS, TER, BA, ET, AAPL