Sometimes, there are days like Monday, when CNBC’s Jim Cramer sees the stock market’s “rocket ships” fly too close to the sun.

“We actually had two rocket ships at work today: FANG and ‘Rocket Man’ himself, Kim Jong-Un, a nuclear menace who’s now become the short-sellers’ best friend, this time with his pronouncement that our flyovers of North Korea amount to a declaration of war,” the “Mad Money” host said.

While FANG, Cramer’s acronym for the stocks of Facebook, Amazon, Netflix and Google, now Alphabet, may have fallen out of favor with investors for climbing too much of late, some more uncommon stocks started to rally ahead of North Korea’s latest statements.

For example, General Motors, an inexpensive stock that was hit hard in August by falling sales, rose to new highs today after Deutsche Bank analysts raised the stock’s rating to “buy” from “hold,” citing the automaker’s highly competitive position in the development of self-driving cars.

Cramer found that the market, in turning away from the high-flying tech stocks for fear of overvaluation, is seeking out undervalued names like General Motors instead.

“The contrast was stark between the cheap stocks that managed to work their way higher [on Monday] and the more expensive stocks that got pulled back to earth by the gravitational pull of this high-valuation sell-off,” he said. “Each winner has an individual reason for winning. All the losers suffered a uniform fate regardless of the news flow.”

Market-watchers could argue that shares of Verizon and AT&T gained momentum on Monday because of their large dividends, which would provide investors with a stable income in the face of geopolitical turmoil.

But with T-Mobile and Sprint in talks to merge, a combination that would create three large telecom companies instead of four, phone bills could rise, meaning Verizon and AT&T could stand to make more money, Cramer said.

The “Mad Money” host also turned to the widely disliked retail sector, in which many players are struggling to stay afloat as online giants like Amazon encroach on brick-and-mortar business.

“Consider a stock like TJX [Companies], which soared today simply because it’s been too unloved. Why not? Sometimes an unloved stock can become loved if it surprises to the upside, and that’s exactly what one of my favorite analysts, Matthew Boss of JPMorgan, says will happen when TJX reports, which is why it’s one of my charitable trust’s biggest positions,” Cramer said.

As for the day’s losers, Cramer figured the negativity was mostly relative. Facebook’s involvement in Congress’ investigation into the 2016 election could have been enough for some investors to want to sell, he said. Amazon regularly comes under fire for being overvalued. Netflix’s valuation is difficult to pinpoint and often in the eye of the beholder.

“If you look through the old news clips, they’re filled with premature obituaries of FANG. Every one has been incredibly cogent. Every one’s been wrong,” Cramer said. “That’s why I like to keep one foot in the rocket ship and another on earth.”

Cramer added that when his favorite high-flyers get pummeled, he often finds them more attractive than when they rally to the stratosphere.

“Today was all about profit-taking in the winners and a love of the losers and I don’t think that much more,” the “Mad Money” host said. “Own some of both in a portfolio that’s diversified not just by sector, but by riskiness, and I think you’ll do just fine.”

Source: Tech CNBC
Cramer explains stock gains as money flows away from tech and into 'losing' sectors