CNBC’s Jim Cramer took to social media on Monday to explain a counterintuitive slump in the stock market, attributing the decline in S&P 500 futures to a massive liquidation event in the precious metals sector.
The Mechanics Of The Sell-Off
According to the “Mad Money” host, the downward pressure on equities is not a reflection of poor corporate health but rather a “non-stock related sell-off” triggered by over-leveraged commodity traders.
Cramer noted that investors who used borrowed capital to bet on gold and silver are currently facing significant losses as those metals retreat from recent highs.
“We OWN stocks; we TRADE metals,” Cramer wrote on X. “The people who trade metals borrow money to do so. When metals go down they sell anything that moves to raise capital. So they sell S&P futures.”
We OWN stocks; we TRADE metals. The people who trade metals borrow money to do so. When metals go down they sell anything that moves to raise capital. So they sell S&P futures. They create opportunities for the patient.
The phenomenon, often referred to as a “margin call,” occurs when the value of a trader’s account drops below a certain threshold required by their broker.
To cover these shortfalls, traders are forced to exit liquid positions in other markets—most notably the S&P 500 futures—to raise immediate cash.
This creates an artificial dip in the stock market that is decoupled from traditional economic indicators.
Cramer cautioned his followers against succumbing to the “jeremiads of destruction,” a term he uses for doomsday pundits who interpret every market dip as a sign of an impending crash. Instead, he urged investors to look past the technical noise.
It's been a long time since we have had a non-stock related sell-off blend into stocks so it is hard not to listen to the jeremiads of destruction… But you must focus on the opportunities NOT be trapped by Circe's island
Despite the volatility, Cramer views the current environment as a strategic entry point for long-term investors.
By understanding that the selling is coming from distressed commodity traders rather than a fundamental shift in the economy, “patient” investors can find value.
Benchmark Indices Witness A Mixed Week
The top U.S. indices closed mixed in the last week, with the S&P 500 index rising 0.23% over the 5 trading days and the Nasdaq Composite, along with the Dow Jones index, falling by 0.29% and 0.50%, respectively.
During the publication of this article, Gold Spot U.S. Dollar was trading 2.32% lower at $4,752.55 per ounce, falling from its last week’s record of $5,595.46. The ETF tracking gold prices, SPDR Gold Trust(NYSE:GLD), was up 11.72% year-to-date and 43.11% over the last six months as of the end of last week.
Similarly, Silver Spot U.S. Dollar was down 2.50% at $82.9640, down from its record high of $121.6700, scaled last week. Silver price tracker, iShares Silver Trust(NYSE:SLV), returned 14.74% YTD and 122.01% in the last six months.
The SPDR S&P 500 ETF Trust (NYSE:SPY) and Invesco QQQ Trust ETF(NASDAQ:QQQ), which track the S&P 500 index and Nasdaq 100 index, respectively, were lower in premarket on Monday. The SPY was down 0.61% at $687.77, while the QQQ declined 0.96% to $615.85.
Disclaimer: This content was partially produced with the help of AI tools and was reviewed and published by Benzinga editors.
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