>> all right. >> congratulations. tomorrow things heat up with chef curtis stone. and bruce jenner will be chef curtis stone. and bruce jenner will be here. -- captions by vitac -- www.vitac.com i'm jim cramer. welcome to my world. firms are going to go out of business and he's nuts! they're nuts! they know nothing! "mad money" -- you can't afford to miss it. hey, i'm cramer. welcome to mad money. welcome to cramerica. all right, here you go, sometimes you just have to let the market come down. when the powers that be, basically all the politicians around the globe are aligned against you, when the consumers are tired of gloomy headlines, when the earnings estimates

haven't come down enough, do you mind if we just accept the fact that we've got a short-term defeat on our hands? yeah, we were defeated again today. third day in a row. there's no other word for it, other than to say it's a defeat for our friends the bulls. it seems like the greek deals are on the verge of collapse and we're in a high risk moment for spain, the only thing to truly save you are high yield and a few, just a few special situations. if greece is booted from the euro and spain can't pay, even the special situations and high dividends might not provide too much protection. but let's go over what it means to lose less than the other guy. let's start with apple. oh, boy. people were quick to dump apple today? sales and earnings failed to beat estimates and guidance was

hideous. we know apple's products aren't cheap, but apple also has a ton of new products coming up, including a new iphone. that's pausing the market. lots of people have been waiting for the bad guidance to get into the stock so now they have their chance. apple is the kind of special situation that can go down now, in part because of europe. everything that's got international sales. but i still think it should be owned. that does not mean traded, does not mean rented. owned. you have to take some short-term pain to get to longer term gain. hey, let's google where we are with apple. right now -- >> the house of pain. >> the house of pleasure. >> it's real special and there

aren't that many special situations that should be able to handle the pressure. we can't gain quarter to quarter highs and lows. but if it's real special, i can do it. now, yield is something we can game. stock yields are so much bigger than bond yields. not as much risk as we're used to seeing. it's how low bonds have gone in yield and how high they've gone in price. i have never seen anything like this. 31 years, we haven't seen anything like it. eaton bottomed yesterday. you simply discovered the terrific industrial is in stronger shape than it should be and it's got a much better yield than treasuries. why not wait? meanwhile, many of the oils share that characteristic. yielding 4%, conoco or incana or kinder morgan partners. you can accept you're going to lose a little money, but not a lot of money.

these companies pay you to wait. you're betting europe is not suicidal when you buy something with a 4% yield and they'll come up with a solution eventually for the dissolution of one of the largest and most important markets on earth, spain. plus, it's pretty clear we may actually have a bottom in natural gas. as it's held the $2 level and bounced to a $3 number, thanks to a huge number of shut-ins and a dramatic decline in drilling. that's what a bottom looks like. supply no longer is exceeding demand. same goes for the high yielding pharma stocks. one of the most important clinical trials out there failed its end point last night. pfizer is the lead developer. the stock is barely down. i mean look, it is where an industrial failed, is down 10%. johnson & johnson was hit. heaven forbid you do it, but you can gain altria's yield, too.

you better believe the yield is headed higher. the dividend is going to be raised. altria boosted their payouts for the last consecutive 47 years. and at&t and verizon, verizon reported a quarter that wasn't good enough. same goes for at&t. but you know what, as long as that 10-year treasury yield stays absurdly low, it's not crazy to start buying into the weakness. and may i just add the terrific trends we saw for at&t, higher consumer use, expanded data use, less churn, meaning fewer people leaving their network, these are all in their infancy. at&t is not going to be a super growth stock like apple. att is cheap on a yield basis. i want to own it.

you can't afford to hold on to the soda companies. they've got some food chain, some commodity inflation. but when their yields get to be 3 1/2, i like them. heinz, conagra, even kellogg can be owned. that yield is so good. they'll pay you. and they don't even have the momentum, but i still like them. proctor and gamble, same idea. no momentum but it has a 3.5% yield. something good can happen there, even with a strong dollar. and there are the utilities themselves. there's risk, but think duke, the most hated utility of them all, which gives you a yield of 5.7%. i'm not saying the utilities are going to go up, they go down less than others. i can't -- i accept the fact that you have to lose some money with recession-resistant stocks, but i know how out of control europe has gotten for the moment.

these stocks can and probably will go lower, that i've mentioned, but the yields make them worth owning anyway. think about eaton. we've had multiple moments like this one, although the potential collapse in spain is looming larger and could be as horrible for europe as 2008 was for us. not as bad for us. it's a defensive moment. there's nothing wrong with having something special, but you have to remember that we are in loss acceptance mode and that's a very important mind set for those of you who want to make longer-term money. if i were at my old hedge fund, i wouldn't be able to go into loss acceptance mode. couldn't afford it. that's not what my partners paid me for. i understand why anyone who manages money professionally wouldn't want to be in that mode. at my old hedge fund, we tried to make money every single day, so we would have to be short the euro, betting against the commodities, bet against the deep cyclicals or come short apple this morning, all right?

but for me, right now, someone who runs the charitable trust, forget about it. for you who manages your own money, forget about it. don't leave this market if you have yield or special situations that you are sitting on. stand pat. get ready to buy more of the higher yielders as the price falls, as we advocated successfully with eaton. the bottom line is we can afford to take the short-term pain to make longer-term gains. you can have a few special situations. not many. and you can even include an apple, and you accept that you could be in for a beatdown for the moment until europe once again comes up with a solution that pushes back the apocalypse and the chinese move more aggressively to get things going, so the collapse, not a bruising, but the total collapse is averted. chris? >> caller: how's it going? >> tough day. but we're working it out together. what's going on? >> caller: i need some help, need some suggestions on web md

down 20%. but since i bought it down 50%. bought it at $30 and it's at $14 a share. what are your suggestions? >> i have not liked that for a long time, ever since david faber broke some stories about how they're really doing. there's nothing there for me. there's nothing that makes me feel good about it. i don't like these numbers coming down. tommy in new jersey. >> caller: it's fred from new york, jimmy. i'm looking for your input on isrg, intuitive surgical. >> i thought they were fine. but they came out the same day as chipotle. these high multiple stocks, they have to be perfect and they can't have any economic sensitivity. and in that quarter they talked about economic sensitivity in europe so that is enough to move the stock lower. >> caller: a new jersey boo-yah

to you, jimmy. >> whew. okay. >> caller: i need you, man. i did everything you told me to do. i'm a home gamer on margin over here. earnings only increased $429,000 on $80 million in revenue. i said this thing is going to go down. it went up. i don't get it. $15 million in shareholders' equity, it went up. the liabilities went down. what am i doing wrong? >> all right, listen. i totally get what you're saying. i would ring the register on some of this. under armor guided up and i do think it's a technology stock.

it sells at that huge multiple that chipotle and isrg did before we got into the house of pain. why not leave the address before it happens. here's where you are. if you do this and do this, you'll stay in the house of pleasure. and you won't risk -- >> the house of pain. >> sometimes short-term pain is necessary for long-term gain. it does not make yielders immune to the selloff. you lose less and then when things get better, you make money. "mad money" will be right back. coming up, planting the seeds? as our nation's worst drought in 50 years continues in the midwest, commodity prices rise even higher. tonight, cramer is pinning the technicals versus the fundamentals to see if one ag play could grow stronger fighting the country's dust bowl conditions when he goes "off the

chart." and later, pay to play? they're the crown princes of play time. but tonight, only one stock can win this game. cramer hosts an epic toy story showdown between hasbro and mattel. find out who's on top of this monopoly. plus, pickle power. b and g foods is up in 2012. could it help defend your portfolio in this volatile environment? cramer decides when he breaks bread with the company's ceo. all coming up on "mad money."

♪ nikki! rick! wow, you look terrific! [ female announcer ] the whitening you've always wanted. new crest 3d white glamorous white toothpaste. your smile will shine brighter after just one brushing, and it removes up to 90% of surface stains in just 5 days. for a smile so white, you won't just be the ex-girlfriend. you'll be the one that got away. crest 3d white glamorous white toothpaste. life opens up when you do. [ female announcer ] 100% natural lipton iced tea. it's delicious goodness, just the way nature intended it. when you put goodness inside, you can't help but shine on the outside. lipton. drink positive.

yes, you do! don't! do! whoa, kitchen counselor here. see cascade complete pacs work like micro-scrubbing brushes to help power away tough foods even in corners and edges. hmm! cascade. love it or your money back. have given way to sleeping. where sleepless nights yield to restful sleep. and lunesta can help you get there, like it has for so many people before. when taking lunesta, don't drive or operate machinery until you feel fully awake. walking, eating, driving, or engaging in other activities while asleep, without remembering it the next day, have been reported. abnormal behaviors may include aggressiveness, agitation, hallucinations or confusion. in depressed patients, worsening of depression, including risk of suicide, may occur. alcohol may increase these risks. allergic reactions, such as tongue or throat swelling, occur rarely and may be fatal. side effects may include unpleasant taste, headache, dizziness and morning drowsiness.

ask your doctor if lunesta is right for you. then find out how to get lunesta for as low as $15 at lunesta.com. there's a land of restful sleep. we can help you go there on the wings of lunesta. this midwest drought is causing some serious issues for the breadbasket for america. we can't change the forecast. we can look at companies who may be able to help the situation. that's what we're doing with tonight's "off the charts" with tim collins, my colleague at the street. collins has found a way i believe to play ag.

he thinks it's going to take a long time for both farmers and traders to forget what happened to corn so far this season. even as we may be getting a positive break in the weather later this week and there's still time to save. but that seared memory means they're going to act rather than react. and that means more business for monsanto. the king of genetically engineered seeds. the perfect opportunity is also developing in monsanto's charts. this is the shorter term pictograph that shows action. has blemishes and that makes collins think the stock is due for a pullback. look at this, during this bad period, you see, there's this wedge formation with a floor around $85.

but it held if you look at the close because the close was above $85. still, collins thinks the stock could push down to the $80 to $83 level without a problem. it does matter for entry points. however, if we get a pullback, collins said it should be bought and bought aggressively, kind of almost have to hope there's a pullback, why? the longer-term charts are extremely bullish. second, monsanto has solid support around $81. third, look at the bottom of this chart, will you? this is the accumulation distribution. it's an indicator that measures volume relative to stock price. with monsanto, the accumulation distribution line, hey, this is beautiful. we've seen heavy buying in this one.

much more aggressive buying than selling. collins thinks this is solid evidence the stock hasn't really been pushed up by people chasing momentum. those are the weak-handed players who could be your worst enemy. instead, monsanto is being bought by live investors who aren't renting, they're owning. one last thing about the daily chart. do you remember that bearish wedge pattern? chart reading, not unlike palm reading, is highly open to interpretation. and if we use the dotted line instead of the solid one at the top of the pattern, that changes the whole formation, just like when i was talking about whether this was breached or not. this line means it's a bearish wedge and monsanto is due for a pullback. if we go with the dotted line instead of the solid line, it means it's at the low end of a bullish channel, which is exactly the place a technician would want to buy.

i'm calling it not definitive, but if we get a pullback in monsanto, collins would be a buyer. let's check out the weekly charts. this has shadows of the same kind of wedge formation that we saw in the daily, but in the weekly, monsanto has broken out above the wedge. see that? and the two trend lines have actually met each other. well, wait a second. that's not supposed to happen. it's not just good technical analysis. that doesn't happen. if the lines meet, you're supposed to throw it away. so collins says you have to forget about the wedge in the daily and just focus on the larger bullish channel contained between the two brown lines. previous worries, mitigated by this longer-term, which he thinks tells more truth. right now, monsanto is at the top of the channel and collins believes is preparing to break

out. last week, the stock rallied above its old ceiling of resistance, which is now a floor of support. and that floor is close to the top of the channel. if the breakout fails, we should know within the next week and a half. why does collins think it will succeed? first, there's the rsi at the top of the chart. it's a momentum indicator. it says the stock is ready to roar. as long as we don't get a huge pullback in the rsi, relative strength, collins believes monsanto has a good chance of testing $90 next month, $5 above where the stock is right now. one more thing, take a look at the bottom of this. this shows the correlation with the price of corn. over the last two years, you can see the correlation all over the map. ever since the weather got warm, this correlation has spiked. now the stock is highly correlated with a skyrocketing price of corn. on the one hand, this means monsanto might pull back if it

rains, but on the other hand, what you might find out through this stock has often been able to move higher in the wake of flatter corn prices. he thinks the weekly is telling the more truth than the daily and in a subjective basis. not as worried about the bearish wedge. more seeing that it's breaking out of this longer-term channel. at the end of the day, though, it's the ultra long term chart that really makes collins excited about this. not only a bull, he says monsanto is one of his five favorite names for 2012 through 2013. he thinks the monthly chart is one of the most attractive long-term charts out there. and when i saw it i said holy cow, i should show this first. but my tradition is to go daily and then weekly and then monthly. what makes this picture so beautiful, collins says a breakout that's only started to happen. he says it's the bottom of the first inning. that's incredible. monsanto is just beginning to sow the seeds of its upside potential.

it's all about this inverse head and shoulders pattern. it looks like a person's head upside down. this pattern started a long time ago. i love -- i love the monthly, go back real far. to me, it really shows a lot more gravitas. now monsanto is breaking out above the neckline. and that tells collins, it could be headed a lot higher. how much higher? get this, guys. that would be a 53% gain from these levels. farmers and investors won't soon forget the havoc caused by the drought and the way to play it is monsanto. got the correlation, the head and shoulders chart, the breakout. tim collins believes it has a beautiful chart and i believe in a similar way dupont makes a ton of sense to buy. stay with cramer.

coming up, paid to play? they're the crown princes of play time. but tonight, only one stock can win this game? an epic toy story showdown between hasbro and mattel. how much coffee are you fellows going to need today? three...four cups? [dumbfounded] well, we... doesn't last long does it? listen. 5-hour energy lasts a whole lot of hours. so you can get a lot done without refills. it's packed with b-vitamins and nutrients to make it last. so don't just stand there holding your lattes, boys. make your move. we'll take the 5-hour energy. smart move. 5-hour energy. hours and hours of energy.

[ crunches ] mmm. ♪ [ male announcer ] pringles... bursting with more flavor. [ crunch! ] challenge that with new olay facial hair removal duo. a two-step process that removes even coarse, stubborn facial hair gently. plenty of gain, without all that pain... with olay. his morning starts with arthritis pain. and two pills. afternoon's overhaul starts with more pain. more pills. triple checking hydraulics. the evening brings more pain. so, back to more pills. almost done, when... hang on. stan's doctor recommended aleve. it can keep pain away all day with fewer pills than tylenol. this is rudy. who switched to aleve. and two pills for a day free of pain. ♪ [ female announcer ] and try aleve for relief from tough headaches.

if batman and spider-man were stocks, which would be the better buy? how about batman versus the avengers? ironman, captain america, the hulk, and of course, the most lethal superhero of them all, scarlet johansson. what we're really talking about is the ultimate battle of the toy makers. that's hasbro versus mattel. this is one of the most destructive pieces and you're going to have fun with it. hasbro owns the recent marvel comic based movies, transformers, g.i. joe and my little pony. mattel has a similar deal with d.c. comics, meaning they can make the merchandise for the new batman movie which just had a huge opening weekend and they also control some of the strongest toy brands on earth. we're now approaching the most important part of the year for toy companies.

for just a huge chunk of sales. as a matter of fact, all you care about is that quarter to some degree. which do you buy? this throwdown does seem to be about as evenly matched as we've done on "mad money." hasbro is the second largest toy company. both companies recently reported better than expected quarters. hasbro yesterday, mattel a week ago. they each have big dividends. don't forget, if a stock goes down, the yield goes higher. so which is the better stock? maybe we should just have the action figures go at it, see who wins? when you drill down, mattel beats hasbro. not because the new batman movie is a heck of a lot better than the new spider-man. although i'm sure that will help. at the end of the day, this contest isn't about one superhero versus another. no, it's actually about girls versus boys. and toys versus games.

you see, hasbro's products lean more towards little boys than little girls. mattel is the opposite. the majority of mattel's business is aimed at girls. not just barbie, but also monster high, which is new and very popular with the kids. it's growing like crazy. the great thing about being a toy company that's focused on girls is that it means your business is a lot more consistent. mattel doesn't live and die based on whether it bets on the right movie franchise because there will always be little girls who want barbie dolls. hasbro is different. about 42.5% of their business is oriented towards boys. and boys are not reliable. hasbro has been doing well lately thanks to the avengers, which came out earlier this summer. and toy sales for the new spider-man movie have started off strong. but they're up against really tough comparisons. last summer there was the big transformers movie and hasbro crushed the numbers in toys.

even though hasbro's boy business is doing well in absolute terms, it ain't doing well at all relative to last year. in fact, it was down 16% last quarter. people don't think oh, well, maybe it was strong last year. they think something is wrong. hasbro is dependent on aligning itself with the right movies, very dicey. so it can sell action figures to little boys. of course, these are gross generalizations. i don't want anyone to accuse cramer of sexism or having a monster high, which i never had, other than from the drink. plenty of boys like dolls and plenty of girls like to play with trucks and action figures. we used to hit each other over the head all the time when they were little with trucks. i'm trying to make your understand why mattel is a better investment than hasbro. second reason for mattel. it's a pure play on toys. whereas hasbro is games and puzzles like scrabble and

monopoly. right now, board games are getting crunched thanks to the web and gaming devices and consoles. that's why hasbro's gaming revenue has declined by 8% in the last quarter. hey, guys, that's just not good. games, however, are a much smaller piece of the pie at mattel. for example, they made a fairly successful board game based on angry birds. hasbro is partnering with zynga. this will take time to pan out, and even if it does, it's not a needle mover. although, maybe for once i can beat my daughter at that darn scramble thing. third, while both companies delivered upside surprises, mattel's quarter was better than hasbro's. mattel's revenues were flat. north american sales were up 1%. but the company's core businesses were strong.

barbie was up 5%. hot wheels was up 11%. american girl up 3%. hasbro, on the other hand, i see it declining. even with these comparisons, revenues were down 11% year over year. the second quarter in a row of declining revenues. we don't like that. at this point, it's hard to see how the company will grow sales this year. even as we're headed to the best part of the year for toy makers. europe accounts for 30% of the company's sales, versus 25% for mattel. any company that has more europe than any other, i'm going with the other. how about valuation? mattel, a little more expensive, 12.7 times next year's earnings. wait a second. mattel has a higher multiple, but it actually doesn't mean it's more expensive. that's glib.

you see, mattel has a higher long-term growth rate of 8.5% versus just 7.4% for hasbro. and it's the growth rate that determines expense. remember, we want to factor growth into the valuation and we always do. we turn to this thing called the p.e.g. ratio, price to earnings multiple divided by the growth rate. i'm sorry, i need to teach this stuff. both stocks have a peg rate of about 1.5%. so it isn't so expensive. the only area where hasbro wins is that dividend. come on, 3.6% is still pretty darn good, especially compared to the puny return in long-term treasuries right now. i do say mattel is a better company. however, mattel has had a huge run since it reported a week ago and stocks are only pennies away from its 52-week high. so it would be irresponsible for me to conclude not only is mattel better but to buy, buy, buy.

you need to wait for it to come down with the next one. batman beats spider-man hands down. or maybe the better way to look at it is that barbie beats spider-man. barbie beats the avengers. and boy, does barbie ever beat the transformers. mattel's main business is dolls. that's why it's crushing the boy-oriented hasbro. we hate chasing in "mad money" so wait for a pullback in mattel. in a pullback, mattel is going to yield more and that's when you pull the trigger. john in new york? >> caller: i'm giving you a big boo-yah. i just found dreamworks animation made an acquisition. is it a good buy now? >> no. i haven't liked dreamworks. it did well and then badly. i can't put it in the camp of companies that have good yields

that are in this business. i don't want you in dreamworks. i do need to go to ray in illinois. >> caller: i'm ray in illinois. introducing a new music device to keep up with the big boys. do you think it's time to full the trigger or will sony continue down the path? >> no, no, no. here's sony. sell, sell, sell, sell, sell, sell. these companies entering decline, they don't turn, whether it be radio shack, best buy. doesn't turn. nokia, doesn't turn. eastman kodak. research in motion. they're very similar situations. they don't turn. although sony has a better balance sheet. i just don't want you in it. there's just not enough to make me recommend it. all right, a man's world? with apologies to spidey, but barbie rules. and so does mattel. coming up, can you handle the heat?

cramer gets you fired up for a searing hot lightning round. and later, pickle power. b and g foods is already up a fresh 15% in 2012, but could its dashing dividend and savory stable of consumer brands continue to help defend your portfolio in this volatile environment? cramer decides when he breaks bread with the company's ceo. all coming up on "mad money." another cup of coffee? how long is this one going to last? forty-five minutes? an hour? well... listen. 5-hour energy lasts a whole lot of hours. take one in the afternoon, and you'll feel alert and energized 'til the cows come home. it's packed with b-vitamins and nutrients to make it last. so what's it going to be, partner? 5-hour energy. wise choice. 5-hour energy. hours and hours of energy.

challenge that with new olay facial hair removal duo. a two-step process that removes even coarse, stubborn facial hair gently. plenty of gain, without all that pain... with olay. [ crunches ] mmm. ♪ [ male announcer ] pringles... bursting with more flavor. [ crunch! ] have given way to sleeping. where sleepless nights yield to restful sleep. and lunesta can help you get there, like it has for so many people before. when taking lunesta, don't drive or operate machinery until you feel fully awake. walking, eating, driving, or engaging in other activities while asleep, without remembering it the next day, have been reported. abnormal behaviors may include aggressiveness, agitation, hallucinations or confusion.

in depressed patients, worsening of depression, including risk of suicide, may occur. alcohol may increase these risks. allergic reactions, such as tongue or throat swelling, occur rarely and may be fatal. side effects may include unpleasant taste, headache, dizziness and morning drowsiness. ask your doctor if lunesta is right for you. then find out how to get lunesta for as low as $15 at lunesta.com. there's a land of restful sleep. we can help you go there on the wings of lunesta.

>> it is time for "the lightning round." are you ready skee-daddy? let's start with james in georgia. james? >> caller: jim, ford, what's going on? >> this is my problem with latin america. u.s. cannot offset these negatives, which is why it's one tough stock to own. let's go to todd in michigan. >> tvi over 13? >> my friend doug kass, over at the street.com, they're saying there's nothing good happening here. don't buy. let's go to joe in michigan. joe? >> caller: jim. i love costco. what's your take on it? >> the charitable trust just

sold it right here. why? because it had such an amazing run. i did not want to tempt fate. nice gain. don't mind taking it off the table. let's go to barry in texas. >> caller: thank you for taking my call. my company is kirby. >> this is very similar to what's happened to a lot of oil and oil service stocks. i can't countenance buying it here because there's not been a turn yet in the business. jonathan in iowa. jonathan. >> caller: boo-yah. hey, cramer, i love your show. calling from cedar rapids. >> nice to have you. >> caller: i'm 26 years old looking for long returns. what do you think about tesla? >> tesla to me is very expensive. i've got enough problems with the blue chip. don't need to speculate. >> let's go to dakota in virginia. which is an oddity in itself.

>> caller: yeah. >> yeah. you're on. >> caller: travel zoo? tzoo? >> no. i mean, here's another one. trip adviser is tough. we just had kayak come public. expedia, these stocks are all high. the last one i want to own is the zoo. i got enough problems with the humans, i don't need that menagerie. ♪

[ male announcer ] nothing will keep you from magnum. silky vanilla bean ice cream and rich caramel sauce all covered in thick belgian chocolate. magnum ice cream. for pleasure seekers. [ crunches ] mmm. ♪ [ male announcer ] pringles... bursting with more flavor. [ crunch! ]

just one more horrific day.

you probably feel like giving up on the entire market or even on the idea of investing. i understand that. what you need to do is stock up on safety. take advantage of the weakness to buy domestic security stocks. the weak that can thrive even when everyone is terrified about the possible collapse of europe. stocks like b and g foods. i have been a huge fan. now it yields 3.9% because the stock is going up. it has an incredible track record of resurrecting neglected brands it buys from larger food players. b and g is the same approach the yankees seem to be taking. they picked up discarded and undervalued players. andruw jones, raul ibanez, now these players are finding new life on the team. we know b and g works in this environment, the stock is giving you a 25% return.

just reported a solid quarter. after the close, a 2 cent earnings beat. revenues came in a little light. let's check in with david winter, president and ceo of b and g foods, find out more about the quarter. please have a seat. okay, point blank, i've got to say, this was the most conservative that you've been. i picked the word conservative because you used words, you said there was mild but broad softness in sales. you talked about volume loss,

about the idea that you, too, were not immune to the general weakness in the food business. so i want you, because you're just the most candid guy in your industry to explain what's gone wrong and what's gone right. >> the first problem is nobody understands what's going on. we've had three quarters in a row where food business in general had soft declining volume. and the categories we've competed, not necessarily all our products, but when i looked at the nielsen data on the categories we compete in, it's a sea of red. so everybody is going where are the consumers and what are they eating? no one has a really good answer. our decline, which was a little over 3%, is half or more of what other people are declining. you have some very substantial declines out there in the food business. and it's a source of -- it's kind of humbling because i've been doing this over 20 years and i've never seen anything like it before. and, you know, you have to be conservative when you don't understand, well, what is the consumer doing and how long can

they keep this up? >> i thought it was even tougher. you have different tiered brands. but you had ortega up 4.7. cream of wheat, up 4.9%. what the heck? this has been around forever. why did this have the biggest spurt in growth of any single food line that i follow in every other company? >> it's about new distribution. we've done a good job of getting product into dollar stores, drugstores and retailers on the west coast where the product never was before. we've done a very good job of taking the line and doing that. we've also continued to innovate. we have a chocolate flavored instant cereal that's gaining distribution. it's all about increasing our presence in the market. >> let's talk about this one. i was puzzling through chipotle. they talk about people staying home. yesterday mcdonald's. this is the way to get mexican food if you're staying home. that's got to be the reason why you had more than plus 4, right? >> it's a great value. >> how much cheaper is this than going to taco bell?

>> you could probably feed your family with what you could feed two people with this kind of thing. it's a great value, it's something that kids like. it's a food when you sit down at the table, everyone can tailor it to whatever you want. it's a very good family feeding type of food. what we think people are looking for. >> you also gave insights into coupons. you did a tv ad. if they're worth less, they're redeemed more. what the heck is going on out there? >> consumers are looking for value, if you can give them money off for buying a product perhaps they were already going to buy, they're all over that. >> you mentioned that look, in this environment, you've got to be very, very careful, what you do, but this culver acquisition is a home run from the get-go.

>> culver acquisitions primarily is mrs. dash, but it includes five other brands, things like molly mcbutter. >> i have to use i use this. i keep thinking my doctor is going to say how could you put salt on it? so i use this. >> it's good. we have a lot of recipes to tell you how to use it on the website, too. and some household products like static guard. what we liked about the portfolio was they were niche products. mrs. dash does 80% of the salt-free seasoning business. they have a dominant presence where they compete, which is true of a lot of our brands. and that's why we're able to do as well as we do. >> you're ready to do another acquisition? >> yep, we sure are. financially and organizationally. we're done integrating this and we're ready to go. >> i wish everything were going up. look, we like the stock so much lower, it's difficult for me. because you're conservative, but at the same time, it's best of breed. >> we continue to build the business and we're very happy with where we've gone.

>> well done. what a winner. still got a good yield. as the stock goes down, you get a bigger yield. remember? and it got some growth. "mad money" is back after the break. we know a place where tossing and turning have given way to sleeping. where sleepless nights yield to restful sleep. and lunesta can help you get there, like it has for so many people before. when taking lunesta, don't drive or operate machinery until you feel fully awake. walking, eating, driving, or engaging in other activities while asleep, without remembering it the next day, have been reported. abnormal behaviors may include aggressiveness, agitation, hallucinations or confusion. in depressed patients, worsening of depression, including risk of suicide, may occur. alcohol may increase these risks. allergic reactions, such as tongue or throat swelling, occur rarely and may be fatal. side effects may include unpleasant taste, headache, dizziness and morning drowsiness.

ask your doctor if lunesta is right for you. then find out how to get lunesta for as low as $15 at lunesta.com. there's a land of restful sleep. we can help you go there on the wings of lunesta. [ crunches ] mmm. ♪ [ male announcer ] pringles... bursting with more flavor. [ crunch! ] throughout our lives. one a day men's 50+ is a complete multi-vitamin designed for men's health concerns as we age. it has more of 7 antioxidants to support cell health. one a day men's 50+. n to support cell health. change your life. my fourth grade teacher mrs. hoffman encouraged me to fulfill my potential. she wrote in my yearbook, "one day you'll be the star of an award-winning show on nbc!" how did she know that? the more you know.

this time you really can blame the politicians. it's not an alibi, it's a reality. i don't like to hear companies say they missed the quarter because of europe or the fiscal cliff or china, one thing has become obvious is the reporting period. politicians stand in the way of earnings growth that drives markets higher. the politicians could care less. it's almost as if the whole world turned communist and the last thing the politicians want to think about is the fact that business may be hurt by their policies. and you know what makes it more ridiculous? only the corporations can get the country out of the hole its dug for itself. our debt can't be repaid by cutting spending and raising taxes. we need to grow our way out of this jam, not cut our way out of it. so to here sandy cutler of eaton said it's causing buyers of trucks to hold off on their purchase, that's devastating.

if our politicians are awful at abetting business to create much-needed jobs, the europeans? horrendous. almost every international company i follow gave you if not for europe nation. just today, ups and dupont did a but-for, and you could only wish they could asterisk europe, as if europe somehow doesn't count towards earnings because it's dragging down both the tops and bottom lines. ups, which was the most negative i have heard of any company, because they were the precursor to last year's decline. they didn't have a good word to say about asia either. they're talking about business falling off a cliff. even mcdonald's had to talk about how you needed a super value meal to attract diners. in germany, a value meal isn't enough? get a super value meal. mcdonald's cited the multiyear

ennui in europe for the reason for the slowdown. customers finally understand things aren't coming back anytime soon. this is burgers and fries we're talking about. unlike europe and the united states, though, the genuine chinese politicians are trying to work magic. yum brands has echoed the negativity. yum's sales weren't as robust as they were and neither were the sales of mcdonald's. of the three sets of politicians, the europeans, americans and chinese, the communists recognize the imperative growth of capitalism to provide it. i bet china turns first, which is why you can't be totally pessimistic, as you would otherwise be if you looked a the future for the u.s., ex-bernanke and europe, a future that seems to dim solely because of the endless squabbling by our elected officials who are put into office to solve the problems they happen to be creating!

another cup of coffee? how long is this one going to last? forty-five minutes? an hour? well... listen. 5-hour energy lasts a whole lot of hours. take one in the afternoon, and you'll feel alert and energized 'til the cows come home. it's packed with b-vitamins and nutrients to make it last. so what's it going to be, partner? 5-hour energy. wise choice. 5-hour energy. hours and hours of energy. [ woman ] you know you don't have to put up with this. those annoying period symptoms. general pain relievers, like advil, only treat cramps,

but midol has three active ingredients to take care of that... and fatigue and bloating. because you deserve better. challenge that with new olay facial hair removal duo. a two-step process that removes even coarse, stubborn facial hair gently. plenty of gain, without all that pain... with olay.

>> here are the two holes for apple. one, how much economic sensitivity did even apple have because they do sell in europe? and the second one is how much share is samsung, their sworn opponent, taking? i wish i had better answers. all i know is the stock is down enough if you don't own the apple, you can start wading in. is apple picture perfect? no, they cut guidance by a huge amount. but you do have a very good 2013 being set up and sometimes we have to look through the valley, in only very special situations to see where the promised land