i'm jim cramer, and welcome to my world. you need to get in the game! they're going to go out of business and they're nuts! they're nuts! they know nothing! i always like to say there's a bull market somewhere. "mad money." you can't afford to miss it. hey, i'm cramer. welcome to "mad money." welcome to cramerica. other people want to make friends. i'm just trying to save you money. my job is to educate you. call me at 1-800-743-cnbc. after an incredible week for the market, where all the major averages broke out to levels we literally haven't seen in years -- >> hallelujah! >> even if today wasn't particularly exciting, nasdaq slipping .04%, something struck me.

maybe the best way to understand this market is in terms of the things that haven't happened. when i look at how 2012 is unfolding, how we could have put together seven straight up days for the dow, a streak that unfortunately snapped today, after all the strength we had already witnessed, it's clear that we've been paying too much attention to what has happened. and not enough attention to what didn't happen. that's why we're going to take a quick trip in the way-back machine to the dark days of the late summer and fall so we can tick off all the things we were so worried about then versus what's actually come to pass. first and foremost back then, we were worried about u.s. government spending and the incredible, the shocking, the disastrous s&p downgrade of our debt. if you recall, this was one of the darker moments of the last decade for the market. and it threatened to take the whole world down as the prospect of further downgrades, a la

greece danced in our heads. since, of course, we were certain that the government's automatic spending cuts weren't really going to occur. we just knew there would be a buyer strike for our bonds. i mean, who would want downgraded u.s. government paper knowing there would be multiple downgrades coming down the pike if nothing were done, and we all knew nothing was a possibility because congress is helpless. what did we think? it's so hard to remember what we were thinking as interest rates would skyrocket. how many times do we hear the words rate and skyrocket after even other after that downgrade. yeah, we were terrified that uncle sam's spending would send the nation's borrowing costs through the roof! but what happened next? bonds, plummet rates go up? no. it's one of the greatest most sustained runs to the up side in bond market history. that panic moment in august was a fantastic time to buy bonds, not sell them. and everyone who called the

skyrocket trade got it wrong. we should call them out now! false alarm? how about a buy -- buy bonds alarm! as the competition around the world for fixed income became horrendous, we were the safest of no safe havens. next, we were supposed to experience a default of epic proportions in europe. the moment that italian bonds hit 7%. remember that? 7%, 7%. they did in november, causing the dow to plummet 400 points. alarm bells blaring, italy, the third largest bond market in the world about to collapse! turns out the alarm we heard was to run into the italian bond building, not out of it. as it was one of the great buy moments, frankly, in history for fixed income, at least. if you levered up, you didn't just make your year. you made your career. and you made ten careers! as the leadership of the european central bank changed right then from someone who worried about inflation, who had incredibly and stupidly hiked interest rates twice to someone who cut rates immediately and

then began the reassurance process in italy. the worry then went to spain, persistent unemployment, horrendous finances, terrible government, the dominos headed right towards spain. the dominos were supposed to head to thailand, malaysia, indonesia, singapore if we didn't maintain the chinese and vietnam. spanish short-temple paper was under extreme attack. turns out you missed it, the very short notes in spain thanks to the election of a conservative government and recognition that spain wasn't going out of business any time soon at all. again, a levered-up strategy, not a fire sale was correct. you borrow money to own paper that would be paid in a year or two, you make fortunes. but there was only one major player in this house, in favor of short-term bonds, and it was mf global. jon corzine taking the greatest risk on earth with mf global's money except it turns out it wasn't with mf global's money. it was with their clients' money. and the eighth largest bank. a ripple, by the way, that did have no tide behind it.

even though at the time we thought there had to be many more, right? the largest european banks were all playing the same game as mf global except they were told to play by their government. again, we were terrified the class of mf global would send the dominos falling. turns out there weren't any dominos. what actually happened next was extraordinary. just when tim geithner was giving me the shocking news there would be no more lehmans, that he wouldn't allow it, behind the scenes, we were orchestrating european bank debt. that allowed them to start issuing hundreds of billions of 1% credit lines to the banks to whoever the heck they want to. was it a backdoor t.a.r.p. that would backfire on the politicians? hardly. remember, the politicians were the ones that demanded these banks buy toxic paper to begin with. the credit lines put the stop to european sovereign debt and instead ignited a buying spree.

the massive buying that the pundits wouldn't happen turned into a massive creation. the default of bonds shocked about everyone. not only did we get huge participation, including the largest french banks, we also got private funding restored no those banks. it became obvious they would get through this period made whole. i'm telling you how we could have this huge run. this was all the backdrop. then there's the tragedy that is greece. can i just say that this morphed from farce over tenuous months. it ended up with a can-kicking bailout that allowed our markets to go higher. we had a whole other calamities. high gas prices didn't derail us like they were supposed to because of a mild winter which gave the consumer more money than she thought she had, giving commerce and retail a boost and causing credit card delinquencies to go down staggeringly. nobody talks about it. housing didn't collapse. it just continued with kind of a general decline which is now universal belief at 2012 is the year housing will bounce. judging by the housing and

housing-related leadership in the stock market, it's hard to argue with. and china -- it didn't have the hard landing everyone told me was going to happen, although that's still a worry. can i just point out that as much as we're worried about china, the communist party hasn't even truly begun to cut rates yet to stimulate the economy to any degree. and we're still getting an amazing 7% to 8% expansion that the rest of the world would kill for. if only we had such hard landings here in the west. the bottom line, no, it isn't what happened these last few months that brought this market to these new highs. it's what didn't happen. the sooner you realize how many things can actually go right with the stock market, the more money you can make. the sooner you drop the cynicism that everything will fail because everyone is an incompetent muppet, a term we've learned this week for some clients at one major investment

bank. sooner you learn they're not all muppets that the germans and the french are ernie, as soon as we stop thinking that everyone else is a bunch of big birds, the sooner you recognize that no, it wasn't only the sardonic oscar the grouch that got left out of the performance, it's time to put him and the neilus and the cynics back in the trash can. let's go to richie in north carolina. >> caller: thank you very much for what you do. i've got a 9-year-old and 11-year-old that watch you every single night. say hi. >> hi! >> i love that. a lot of kids watch the show with their moms and dads. that's fantastic. how can i help? >> caller: question on ebay. yesterday it got downgraded. today it came out with this new thing -- well, yesterday it did also, but it came out with this new thing going into china and india. is ebay really a buy right here, or is it -- >> i was remaining critical of that downgrade. hold your ears of your kids because i'm going to tell you that downgrade was stupid as wood. that is no insult to either the plywood industry or to timber in

general. i think when you look at paypal and how that could be the next mastercard or visa, you recognize the guy knew that eb, ebay, you ain't seen nothing yet. i'm going to receive in california. >> caller: boo-yah, jim. how you doing? >> all right. how about you? >> caller: thanks for all the help you do for the small investor. thoughts on diagio, d-e-o. >> i have liked the stock now for about 25 points. i continue to like it. sure, i'd like a pullback but i'd like one for nike, mcdonald's and underarmour. it's in that group of stocks that if it ever came down, i would tell you to buy, buy, buy! tom in new jersey. >> caller: jim, that's one of your biggest 4-year-old fans. >> 4-year-olds! they love this show! i own that key demographic. what's up?

>> caller: jim, dole foods had a big day today, high of $11.39 today due to strong fourth quarter and annual earnings. up 70% versus last year, revenue up 4.8%, operating income up. their fresh fruit is up, packaged goods are up, fresh veggies are up, reducing debt and improving margins. is there anything we don't like about this company? >> yes, that's what i don't like, it's a very good call. it fits in with my whole foods and boston beer. i missed this one. you nailed it. congratulations to you. boo to me. all right. on the eve of st. paddy's day, it's time to say good-bye to the negativist muppets, to oscar the grouch, i'm saying hello to kermit the frog. the sooner you realize that things could go better in this country, the sooner you go bragh, let me tell you something, you can make money by being more positive than being more negative, and that's what we've learned at these new highs for the average. "mad money" will be right back.

coming up, bulls run? the market's been surging higher. but will it last? stick around to arm yourself with cramer's game plan for next week. and later, urban legend? this retailer's up over 800% in the past decade. but it's liking the market so far this year. will this outfit fit perfectly in your portfolio? or is it time to call the fashion police? plus, eye on buckeye. cramer's zeroing in on a trilogy of stocks in the swing state. should you bank on them? all coming up on "mad money." get your "mad money" text alert today. text mm to 26221. to get cramer right on your phone. for more info, visit madmoney.cnbc.com. or give us a call at 1-800-743-cnbc.

we've talked about all of the horrible things that haven't

come to pass since the market lows in late summer and fall. all the bad stuff people were terrified about. and simply by not happening, these nonevents have allowed the averages to move to highs we haven't seen in years. but there's also plenty of good news along in the way of strong earnings. which is why every friday i prepare you for everything that could go right over the following week. with that in mind, what's the game plan for the week to come? first, adobe reports on monday after the close. here we go. we've been waiting for adobe's new creative suite software that will make the company the top arms dealer for weapon developers. the next generation programming language for the internet. adobe would be one of the great software stories of 2012. i think it's a keeper. even though it's up 20% from where i recommended it in october. tuesday we hear from tiffany in the morning. i'm worried here. they truly did not deliver last quarter. it was the only luxury good

purveyor to really disappoint in this whole 2012 scenario. tiffany is linked to the bonuses of the brokers and to the investment bankers. and that's what we're worried about. did they pull themselves out of the hole they dug last time? they'd better or the stock's going to get hammered once again. after the close we hear from cintas which is our labor play. this uniform business is levered to hiring and that means good things for them. i typically don't recommend stocks at their 52-week highs, but this could be the beginning of a long cycle. oracle reports tuesday as well. this is the opposite. i am telling you to sell it ahead of the quarter. they had a nice run. everyone is nipping at this company from dell to accenture. i think the nippers are going to win. time to ring the register as the last quarter was disappointing. i think this one could follow suit. wednesday morning we get results from general mills. now, the general acted like soggy cereal recently when it said margins were being squeezed. all that's happened since then, things have gotten worse. i like this stock when it yields

closer to 4%. so it has a ways to go down. my trust which you can follow along at actionalerts.com has been buying kraft which has been splitting up which is easier to do than we think and represents a better food investment. after the close thursday, there's discovery financial services. the credit card stocks, they have been unbelievable of late. and this one has been the cheapest. price earnings multiple below growth race. people regard it as the odd man out. okay. discover may not be as good as those companies, but it's way too cheap versus the others. up 34% for the year. you may run into profit taking. thursday is a huge day. really, thursday is actually the determinant day for the week. we've got dollar general, and we know dollar stores, still the rage. now, we like dollar tree best. it's been our strongest recommendation of the group. we think it's traded down to this cohort. also, make sure you listen when fedex reports on thursday. the fedex conference call, i'm

calling it a lesson in economics. fedex 101. i bet they say terrific things about global growth, but the stock tends to get hit no matter what they say initially at least. so be ready to do a little rope-a-dope if you own it. many brokers have raised numbers ahead of this quarter. that raised the stakes. i don't like that. i do remain bullish on lulu, and these guys wouldn't be surprised if they talked about more aggressive expansion and further product rollouts. their stores look great. i was in the one in summit, new jersey, just to see what the merchandise looks like. wow, inventories, i believe, will be under control. and that's what knocked the stock down last time. after the close thursday, accenture. yeah. this consulting story is so good that i believe you can buy it ahead of the quarter. preferably after oracle suddenly bashes them when they report on tuesday. that's probably the best way to get ahead of what i think's going to be a bang-up quarter for accenture. and earnings from nike on thursday.

this is nike's year, whether it be the olympics or world cup soccer or just an overall sense that the world's become their oyster. remember, they trade on shoe orders. nike along with mcdonald's and starbucks represent my favorite senior growth companies in the pantheon. then on friday, darden reports. now, what can i say? this used to be the sell at $4 gasoline stock or at least it was. to me it sounds like the consumer's not cutting back on red lobster and olive garden at all. and the new ad campaigns seem to be kicking in and working. believe me, though, this is important, this one will get hammered on the slightest worry about gas prices going higher. so fearing the murmurs, i would take some profits ahead of the quarter if it's still north of 50 going into it. darden's still inexpensive. but i worry the analysts will ask nonstop questions about gasoline. we also hear from kb homes. the home builders have been the leaders since the beginning of the year. few stocks have made more money, up 90% year to date. given that run, it better revise up its forecasts and talk a very

bullish game. even a housing bull like myself has to worry if the stock could trade down no matter how positive they might be. beyond earnings, february new home sales on friday. this number might clash with what we hear from kb homes. we need to sort them both out, but i am a housing bull. that said, if housing's coming back huge, i'm going to play with the suppliers. i like home depot, lowe's and stanley works, charitable trust name, for the best ways to play the recovery. and we've got an ipo coming, exact target. could this be next week's demand wear, the red-hot tools company we tried to get you into it? as a ton of money was made with demand wear. and they have similar blood lines. as it employees, no after-market wagering. bottom line, there's a lot to keep track of. in general, the bad things we've expected haven't happened. while all sorts of good things no one was looking for have come to pass.

so don't be too skeptical. there are a lot of great companies reporting next week and plenty of opportunities lie ahead. stick with cramer. coming up -- urban legend? this retailer's up over 800% in the past decade. but it's lagging the market so far this year. will this outfit fit perfectly in your portfolio, or is it time to call the fashion police? and later -- apple's core. cramer's cracking open the brand-new ipad to find the parts that could make your portfolio whole. all coming up on "mad money."

people always say there are two sides to every story. but in the stock market, only one of those sides can be right. so when two analysts come out and say widely divergent things about the same stock, we try to figure out which one has the better argument using the most rigorous method we know, yes, a mad max beyond thunderdome style steel cage match. yes, to the death! two analysts enter. one analyst leaves. yet we always like a good analyst duel here on "mad money."

and this week, we've got one in former market darling urban outfitters, which, remember also owns anthropologie. up a staggering 3,500% from 2000 to 2010, last year urban lost its way. yeah, disappointing same-store sales. perceived fashion misses. higher costs. some legal trouble with the navajo nation. and then finally, the abrupt resignation of legendary ceo glen sanctis all made it clear urban outfitters lost its status as growth retail king. our worries only multiplied when on monday, urban reported a disappointing quarter and announced they would increase spending for 2012, something that immediately incredibly instantly knocked about a point and a half off the stock. so it caught my attention when

that same day morgan stanley came out with a piece reiterating their overweight rating on the stock titled "urban, the name to own in 2012." then the very next day, citigroup comes out with a report of urban where they are saying they are cutting estimates and maintaining their sell rating. one stock, two very different stories. now with two sides disagreeing so vehemently about the same company, we would always pit their arguments against each other. not just to see who's right but because listening to the best arguments from both sides is a fabulous way to refine your own opinion about a business. so now let's get ready to rumble. first in the bull corner. morgan stanley. they recognize that urban outfitters had some problems, sure enough. but they believe a genuine turnaround will kick in sometime in the second half of the year thanks to improved merchandise, easier comparisons, and fewer markdowns leading to higher gross margins. the analysts at morgan stanley thinks urban's new pricing strategy is a winner.

shifting away from expensive products and towards more low-priced offerings at both urban and anthropologie. anthropologie's knits. is this a knit? i don't know. the knits looking a lot better. they like that inventory levels seem to be under control. declining by 3%. put it all together, they see urban's shares and growth accelerating likely in the second half of the year. the morgan stanley analyst admits the timing will weigh on the stock. they see urban resuming its long-term trajectories at retailer with ability to increase domestic square footage annually for at least four years. almost a $28 stock, it goes to 40 if the turnaround happens faster than they anticipate. that's the bull case. now, in the bear corner, we've got citigroup. citi finds urban outfitters to

be ludicrous, given that the ceo just resigned and to make matters worse, they think the consensus estimates are still too high. the reason? urban's ramping up spending to build up its e-commerce business and expand internationally. but when you factor in those higher expenses, the operating expenses the company won't be able to make their numbers unless it sees a dramatic increase in its gross margins, what they make after the cost of sales. and citigroup doesn't think that's likely. not at all. the problem as they see it is that urban's been marking down its products. and while markdowns declined in the latest quarter, they're still well above most of last year. considering the tough competitive landscape, citigroup thinks it's likely that these markdowns could become a persistent and permanent problem. or at the least it will take a while for urban to wean customers off heavier promotions, a problem that jc penney is finding, and it's lethal to the company's margin. in short, the numbers are too

high, and there's still no evidence that a turn is anywhere in sight. i've got to tell you, unequivocally, i have to side as much as i don't want to because this is a philadelphia-based company and i know it well, with the bears. the bears on this one. we can't just assume a turnaround will magically happen. urban outfitters hasn't seen a turning trends. a la the improbable comeback at gap stores, they don't have a game-changing merchandiser in place like ron johnson who took over jc penney. it's certainly possible that urban could turn things around like the bulls at morgan stanley company. but until we see more concrete proof that they have their act together, i think it would be irresponsible to get behind this one. right now the whole business is in show-me mode. they're from missouri. from the new ceo richard hain, the co-founder of the company who took over when he left to ted marlow, the new ceo of urban outfitters and anthropologie. here's the bottom line.

the jury is still out on urban outfitters. that means when it comes to the bare-knuckle boxing march between morgan stanley and the bearish citigroup, citi wins! sell, sell, sell. the stock may be cheap but there's not enough rein to go positive on the company even as there are plenty of reasons to worry that things could ultimately get worse before they get better. >> the house of pain. >> house of pleasure. >> let's go to francine in florida. >> reporter: boo-yah from boynton beach, florida. hi, jim. how you doing? >> great, sunshine. how about you? >> caller: i'm great. beautiful weather here. my granddaughter's 15 and i bought her some limited because she shops at victoria's secret and bath & body works. i think the r&d is very good. i'd like to know your opinion on the future of that whole thing. >> i think your granddaughter's got horse sense. i think limited, it's also victoria's secret besides bath & body, i want to say this. limited has been historically undervalued on wall street.

they're no promotional people. they consistently make money. i think you've got a good one over time and stick with it. now i want to go to scott in hoosierville in indiana. scott. >> caller: jim, hey, boo-yah from south bend, indiana, notre dame fighting irish country. >> man, i wish kyle were here. we have a stage director who really loves notre dame. me, i can take it or leave it. no, i actually like notre dame. what's going on? >> caller: i'm interested in what you think about psmt price mart. they've had pretty strong revenue growth, but it scares me a little bit at double the industry average and they've missed earnings estimates the last two quarters. i'm wondering if you would buy it. >> no, scott, i think you correctly summed up the situation. i'm going to send you to costco both in stock and in store. that's a better situation. and by the way, costco had an unbelievable quarter.

and it's still -- i can't believe to buy for my charitable trust, it just hasn't. unlike me, i want you not to commit a fashion faux pas by picking up some urban outfitters. i'm siding with the bears in this one. and not just because this is the ugliest outfit i've ever worn on "mad money." stay with cramer. coming up -- the clock is ticking. call cramer at 1-800-743-cnbc. to find out how to fire away at cramer on the lightning round. can he withstand your thunderous onslaught of stocks? and later -- eye on buckeye. cramer's zeroing in on a trilogy of stocks in the swing state. should you bank on them? all coming up on "mad money."

it is time! it is time for "the lightning round"! my staff, i'll play this sound and then the lightning round is over. are you ready, skeedaddy? starting with tyler in minnesota. tyler. >> caller: jim, how's it going?

>> that's what we need, fresh blood here. what's going on? >> caller: i would love to hear what you have to say about super valu. >> it doesn't have a lot of growth. i don't even know if the dividend's safe. i want you in whole foods. i like growth! let's go to greg in kentucky. greg. >> caller: jim, boo-yah! >> nice boo-yah right back at you. >> caller: jim, there's a notion of north american food all bottled up in the middle of our continent with no straw to move it through. there's a small group of refiners that have easy access to this low price crude. what do you think? >> i still think the refinery business is cutthroat. this stock has had a big run. i don't want to own the refiners. be careful, when that seaway pipeline is reversed, you won't make a lot of money, and that's going to happen in about three months. joshua in arizona. joshua.

>> caller: boo-yah, cramerica. >> cramerica's rocking on its eighth year. what's going on? >> caller: yeah. it's good. >> it is good. >> caller: i wanted to ask you about the stock egr. >> good yield, absolutely. you know what? when it comes to tobacco, which means i'm going to send you to mo. if you want a good yield, i am going to send you to pm, which is the spinoff, philip morris, if you want growth. and let's go to maureen in illinois. maureen? >> caller: boo-yah, jim cramer. >> boo-yah. >> caller: from chicago. thanks for not calling us muppets. >> no, you are not muppets. that's someone else did that. thank you. what's up? >> caller: thank you. what is your take on ew edwards

life science? >> i like it. a lot of people think this is a very controversial stock. when you speak to thoracic surgeons, they don't think so. it wouldn't surprise me if the stock stays here. let's go to ed in new jersey. ed. >> caller: leprechaun boo-yah, jim. >> erin go bragh boo-yah to you. what's going on? >> caller: ipo, is it a fast stock and stocks should hit 45 this year or the company should be bought out because of its good earnings. >> it just came public. they did have a change of management that worried me. i should have gotten bullish, i didn't. and my conclusion is maybe this story is better than i think. that's how i have to look at it. dennis in illinois. dennis. >> caller: yes, lionsgate. >> very controversial because "hunger games" opens next week. people feel that it's already played out. if i think if you can get it at 12, you can make a couple quick bucks as we get into the "hunger games" trilogy next week at any time.

jim in florida. >> caller: big irish boo-yah. >> i like that boo-yah. i'm going to dublin boo-yah. what's going on? which one? >> caller: manh. >> the supply chain company. no, i'm going to send you to salesforce.com where i'm feeling incredibly bullish on earnings and i think they're going to be terrific. and that, ladies and gentlemen, is the conclusion of the "lightning round"! >> the "lightning round" is sponsored by td ameritrade. let's go. you've got to get the cancellation headphones. ♪ huh? ♪ please don't stop the music >> huh? ♪ music music music >> i mean, did you get that stuff? okay. oh, sorry about that.

that was a rocket. seven years ago we were lucky enough to start "mad money." throughout the journey, we learned to take counsel of our fears and also our opportunities and possibilities. thanks for sticking with us. here's a look back at what we've done. ♪ let's go to merle in ohio. merle! >> caller: i was reading a czechoslovakian cookbook the other day. i read where boo-yah came from. it's from a stew. >> let's go to paul. did you know that boo-yah is from a czech cookbook? >> caller: i didn't know that. >> it turned out to be a cookbook. "twilight zone" reference. >> it's a cookbook.

♪ ♪ hot stuff baby tonight

the facts have finally gotten their groove back. two things happened this week that have totally reshaped the way we need to view the financial industrial. both of them tuesday, one by surprise. actually, maybe even both. first jpmorgan comes out and raises its dividend by 10%. along with announcing a massive $15 billion buyback. and then the real game changer. the federal reserve announced results of the latest round of stress tests two days early. telling us that 15 of the 19 largest banks in america do have enough capital to withstand another severe recession. and these were not phony stress tests like they did in europe. the fed looked at whether our banks could survive a scenario where the unemployment rate spiked to 13% while housing prices dropped 21%. the market tanked, and both europe and asia experienced economic slowdowns. come on, that's serious stress. much more than i even experienced in my four hours of tv today. since then, the rally in the

banks has been so powerful that it's lifted stocks of companies that failed the stress tests like suntrust which is a good bank. and i think this move, far from over. so how do we play this lazarus-like revival in the banks? you could just do the straightforward thing and buy the obvious, jpm, like we've been doing for my charitable trust at actionalertsplus.com. even after the stock's recent run, i think it's still worth buying. jpmorgan has probably made itself into the world's premier financial supermarket. but -- and this is a big but -- the kind sir mix-a-lot would love. the main reason they're recovering now as opposed to two years ago is the housing market. i'm blessing it, but you need to do it with the regionals. let me explain. as hard as it may be to believe in the past whenever we came out of a recession, the banks were the first sector to recover, what you wanted to reach for.

typically they were the first group you wanted to buy. and the economy started to show signs of turning around. this time, though, we're buying the banks last because the great recession was different. in the great recession, the epicenter of the decline of our economy was housing. and the group most levered to housing, the banks because they owned huge inventory of homes thanks to the tidal wave of foreclosures. in fact, we should think of many of these banks as giant homeowners. while the housing market was on its death bed, that was a very serious problem for the banks. but now that we've -- we're seeing scattered increases in home values combined with record low interest rates and terrific affordability, the banks can finally sell their inventory of homes, something that will generate earnings and also allow them to cut costs because it's expensive to own and service tons of foreclosed properties. not to mention the endless legal fees that foreclosing on homeowners generate. now, the obvious play here is wells fargo. it's got a huge mortgage portfolio. but i think the plays on specific regions may offer even

the most upside, although clearly more speculative. and when you consider the improving job market in the fabulous strength in manufacturing, the region i like best here is the industrial midwest. because it has fabulous exposure to some of these others including autos, oil and gas, right? right? and a rebound in commercial construction. that's right. we want regional banks in the rust belt. and i've got three of them for you tonight. i'm calling it a trilogy of cheap ohio-based banks that will allow you to ride this bullish banking wave. what are they? first, there's huntington bank shares. hban, h-b-a-n, which i like to think of as the "hunger games" bank which opens in theaters later this month. then this second bank in our ohio trilogy is fifth third, f-i-t-b, also known as "catching fire," the second book. they say it's for young adults. don't believe them. i love it. and then last, certainly not least, there's keycorp, key or

mocking "j," the third and final book bank in this series. believe me, when you own lion's gate, you're going to thank me for the banks and for "hunger games. huntington is based in ohio. one day after the stress tests came out, huntington reported a better than expected quarter. $183 million buyback. although it didn't raise the dividend hban, it's a turnaround. the company's been playing defense by proactively addressing its credit issues while revamping its sales culture which should allow for a nice rebound going forward. you know what? you could catch it. catch fire with keycorp. large player based in cleveland. 1,029 branches in the pacific northwest, midwest and northeast. after key passed the stress test, and believe me, key was a challenged bank.

it announced a 66% dividend boost. so now it has a 2.3% yield. they announced a $34 million buyback. the company's returning over 70% of net income from shareholders. that's a big improvement. right now key is trading at a hefty discount to its tangible book value. it's written down. that's what you get if the company's assets were liquidated tomorrow and the key metric we use to value banks. in other words, the bar is set so low that even a small improvement in the business could send the stock much higher. rounding out the trilogy, yes. there's fifth third based in cincinnati. why was i thrown? because this is actually the second. but we're making it the third. this is the biggest of the bunch with over 1300 branches through the midwest and southeast. even though fifth third passed the stress test, the fed partially objected to the plan to increase the dividend. i remember this stock in the

'80s was the finest regional bank in the country. anyway, not this time. as a result, the stock has lagged the rest of the group. i think it's a terrific heinz 5 ketchup play. so they're confident they can resubmit a new plan and have it approved, allowing fifth third to raise its dividend down the line as well as letting them resurrect back their buyback. that would be an excellent catalyst. the bottom line, if you're looking for the best way to play the resurgence of the banks, stick with the regionals. in this case i'm calling them the ohio-based banks, hban, keycorp and fifth third. an overall sense that yes, the stress is, at last, behind them. stay with cramer.

♪ you are the apple of my eye 12 years ago, i took a chain saw to a brand-new dell computer on tv. to figure out what the heck was in it. so i could speculate on the partsmakers that tumbled out. at the same time, it was a somewhat revolutionary way to invest. these days, though, it seems like everyone's so focused on the parts to the point where we even have a term for what i did, for what i did back then. we now call it the teardown. and today with this new ipad hitting the stores, we had teardown stories galore. although none of them as

exciting or as violent as my pioneering efforts in the field. when everyone figured out the teardown strategy, it's more important than ever to analyze not just in the ipad or who isn't but who's gaining and losing steam with apple which could be making tens of millions of these gadgets buffering the order books and adding profits to the coffers of a very, very few chosen. with the help of cnbc contributor stephanie link who is research director of my charitable trust, i've compiled a list of the obvious and nonobvious ways to profit from the teardown. first, as we keep hearing about the big winners, qualcomm, which my charitable trust decided to go with broadcom. it gets about 10 bucks per ipad. that's not yet reflected in the stock price. it has huge exposure to 4g, the next generation wireless technology that's going to make it so i am going to try to get one of these this weekend. and pretty much everyone else uses 4g, uses qualcomm stuff. i just fear there isn't a soul on the planet who hasn't figured out the qualcomm/apple

comparison already. they make the amplifier that apple chose for the ipad. that choice alone isn't a shocker. when you consider skyworks didn't make the cut with the business going to avago, this is a terrific sign that skyworks might be included in the iphone 5 later in the year, and that's the money game. then two other stocks that are a mixed blessing category. they provide key audio and talk time quality components respectively. the issue here is these two companies may be too tied to apple. 53% of revenue come from the colossus. that makes me uncomfortable since apple can be pretty darn cavalier and have been known to

wreck companies when it switches suppliers. finally, texas instruments which makes the touch-screen controller for the ipad. this would be huge for anyone except texas instrument in part because it has gigantic exposure to nokia and national semi matters more for the apple business at the moment. you don't have to bust open your ipad 3 to find out what tumbles out. i've done it for you! but don't just buy whatever's inside. go with the stocks of the unrecognized component makers where apple can't solely determine the company's life or death. which means go with broadcom and skyworks. stocks that remain true bargains even after everyone tears down a brand-new ipad. stick with cramer.

happy st. patrick's kay day to everybody p and i know i'm trying to get an ipad this will weekend. here's the deal. this stock is still cheap because all you had to do is divide by ten. so you got a $60 stock, i think you can go to $70. would that be such a wild move is this i? divide by ten and you'll get more comfortable