According to CNBC, Jim Cramer said Wednesday he remains optimistic about the market even as risks mount, citing strength in AI stocks, resilience in banks and the possibility that high oil prices could ease. He said it does not pay to be bearish over the long term and noted that the Dow Jones Industrial Average has risen from 853 on Sept. 9, 1981, to above 52,000 today.
Cramer said higher oil prices are starting to weigh on consumer spending, with retail and discretionary shares under pressure. He pointed to Wednesday's declines in Comcast, Procter & Gamble, General Mills and Stanley Black & Decker, while the Dow fell nearly 0.8%, the S&P 500 dropped 0.5% and the Nasdaq lost just over 0.6%. All three benchmarks extended their losing streaks to three sessions.
He said the AI trade remains intact, with data center stocks and semiconductors rallying despite broader market weakness. Cramer also described bank stock resilience as somewhat counterintuitive, saying it suggests higher energy costs have not yet materially hurt Americans' savings or the broader economy. He added that if economic pressure leads to another shift in the outlook for the Iran conflict, oil prices could ease further, noting that Brent crude climbed above $100 in late July before President Donald Trump paused U.S. airstrikes to give peace talks "some space."