Every single trading day at 6 p.m. Eastern, something magical (or terrifying, depending on your portfolio) happens on CNBC. The lights dim, the soundboard starts buzzing, and Jim Cramer grabs the phone lines for what might be the most adrenaline-fueled five minutes in finance television: the Lightning Round.
I’ve been watching Mad Money for longer than I care to admit, and I still get a little rush when that bell rings. It’s raw, it’s fast, and sometimes it moves stocks overnight. Last night was no different.
What Caught My Eye in Tuesday’s Lightning Round
Three calls in particular made me pause the DVR and actually take notes. Not because they were complicated — Lightning Round answers never are — but because they perfectly summed up where we are in this weird, post-election, rate-cut-hoping market of late 2025.
Dorman Products: “The Only Thing Worse Than Housing Is Cars”
First up was Dorman Products (DORM), the aftermarket auto parts company that, frankly, has been getting absolutely crushed this year.
Cramer didn’t mince words:
“The only thing worse than housing is cars. I’m going to have to stay away from that one.”
Ouch. But honestly? He’s not wrong.
Think about it. New car sales have cooled dramatically as interest rates stayed “higher for longer” longer than anyone expected. Used car prices are finally deflating. And when people aren’t buying cars — new or used — they’re also not crashing them as often (insurance companies have been saying collision frequency is down). Fewer crashes = fewer replacement parts needed.
Add in the fact that many drivers are holding onto their vehicles longer than ever (average age of cars on the road is now pushing 13 years), and suddenly the whole “steady Eddie” thesis for aftermarket parts companies starts to wobble.
I pulled up Dorman’s chart after the show. It’s down close to 40% year-to-date. The stock that was trading above $120 in early 2025 now can’t seem to hold $70. That’s not a dip — that’s a structural shift.
So yeah, I’m with Jim on this one. There are way better places to park money right now than betting on a rebound in auto repairs.
CoreWeave: The AI Darling That Keeps Running
Next caller asked about CoreWeave — the GPU cloud company that’s been one of the hottest IPOs of the past two years.
Cramer’s take was classic him — honest but not overly enthusiastic:
“…There are better places to play the data center, but it’s doing very, very well.”
Translation: He’s not pounding the table, but he’s also not telling you to sell.
That’s actually pretty bullish in Cramer-speak when it comes to a name that’s already up several hundred percent since going public.
Here’s what I find fascinating: CoreWeave isn’t a household name like Nvidia or even Super Micro, but institutions have been piling in because they specialize in renting out the exact Nvidia H100 and Blackwell GPUs that every major AI lab desperately needs right now. Supply is constrained, demand is through the roof, and CoreWeave has locked up massive capacity with long-term contracts.
Are there risks? Of course. If the AI capital expenditure boom cools in 2026, or if hyperscalers decide to bring more capacity in-house, CoreWeave could get hurt. Valuation is also rich — we’re talking 50x sales or more depending on the day.
But as Jim said, it’s “doing very, very well” for a reason. Sometimes momentum is its own catalyst.
- Locked-in Nvidia supply when everyone else is scrambling
- Multi-year contracts with the biggest AI players
- Revenue growing at triple-digit rates quarter after quarter
Those aren’t small things. I wouldn’t chase it here with both hands, but I’m not fighting the tape either.
Alaska Air: Good Company, Trading Vehicle Only
Last notable call was on Alaska Air Group (ALK). Cramer’s verdict:
“I think Alaskan’s good…but as a trading vehicle only.”
This one hits different if you’ve been following the airline sector.
Alaska has actually been one of the better-run carriers coming out of the pandemic chaos. Their acquisition of Hawaiian Airlines finally closed, labor relations are relatively calm, and they have a strong West Coast franchise.
But here’s the catch — and it’s a big one — the entire airline group is completely beholden to fuel prices and consumer spending patterns, and whatever the economy does in the next six months. When recession fears flare up, airline stocks get crushed. When animal spirits return, they rip higher.
That’s why Jim calls it a “trading vehicle.” You can make money swinging it, but trying to marry an airline stock in this environment? Good luck.
Personally, I’ve traded Alaska twice this year — once long in the summer when oil crashed, once short in October when yields started rolling over. Both worked. But I sleep better not holding through earnings.
The Bigger Picture: What These Calls Actually Tell Us
Stepping back, these three answers perfectly illustrate the market’s current schizophrenia.
We’re in this strange period where:
- Anything tied to the “old economy” (cars, housing, consumer discretionary) is radioactive
- AI and data center plays are still getting a hall pass no matter the multiple
- Cyclical stocks like airlines can rally hard but nobody trusts the move
It feels a lot like 2022 in reverse. Back then, growth and tech were dead and energy/cyclicals were the only game in town. Now it’s flipped.
And honestly? That’s why I still watch the Lightning Round religiously. Not because I’m going to buy or sell the second Jim speaks (though some people absolutely do), but because his off-the-cuff reactions are a incredible sentiment indicator.
When he’s pounding the table for something, the move is often already overbought. When he’s dismissive or cautious, sometimes that’s exactly when you want to start doing homework.
Food for thought next time you’re tempted to YOLO into whatever stock just got the Cramer blessing.
Until next bell,
Keep watching the tape — and maybe keep the soundboard handy.
