TLDR
- Beating earnings is no longer enough for tech stocks — investors now want supply shortages
- Mega-cap earnings from Alphabet, Amazon, Meta, and Microsoft got a mixed reaction
- Seagate, Bloom Energy, and NXP Semiconductors rallied on supply constraint stories
- The semiconductor index (SOX) surged nearly 35% in April before pulling back
- Cramer advises trimming big winners after parabolic rallies, but not panicking
Jim Cramer says the rules for picking winning tech stocks have changed. Strong earnings used to be enough. Now, investors want to see a shortage.
“It’s not enough just to beat and raise anymore,” Cramer said on Mad Money. “You need a shortage, or else your stock’s not gonna get much love.”
On Wednesday, four of the biggest names in tech — Alphabet, Amazon, Meta, and Microsoft — all reported earnings. Two of the four dropped in after-hours trading despite strong results.
Meta posted its fastest revenue growth in five years. Its stock still fell as investors worried about rising spending levels.
The reaction was different for companies dealing with supply crunches.
Seagate rallied after flagging tight supply in data storage hardware tied to data center demand. Cramer said the company “can’t make their product fast enough.”
Bloom Energy surged too. Its power systems, used increasingly in data centers, are in short supply. Cramer called it one of his favorites.
NXP Semiconductors jumped on an unexpected shortage in automotive chips — a reversal for a sector that had been lagging.
Old Tech, New Demand
Cramer summed up the shift simply. “The best tech these days is, ironically, old tech,” he said. “We stopped building it and it came back into vogue.”
The idea is that companies with limited manufacturing capacity and visible demand are now being rewarded more than those with high growth but no scarcity story.
This fits into a broader April trend in semiconductors. The PHLX Semiconductor index (SOX) jumped nearly 35% between April 1 and April 24, going from 7,802 to a high of 10,513. It then pulled back about 4.5%.
Cramer noted that April is the second-best month ever recorded for chipmakers. The best was in 2000, right before the dot-com bubble burst.
What Cramer Says to Do Now
He was careful not to sound the alarm, but did urge discipline. His advice: trim your biggest winners after a big rally, but don’t panic sell.
“You can’t be a pig,” he said. A moderate pullback and consolidation could be a buying opportunity, he added.
He used POET Technologies as a warning. The stock went parabolic, then lost half its value in a single day after a major client cancelled a deal. By late April, shares sat nearly 54% below their 52-week high, set on April 23, 2026.
Cramer pointed to the SOX index trading far above its 200-day moving average as a reason for caution, while still stopping short of calling a top.
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