“Most Exciting Moment I’ve Ever Been In”: Jim Cramer on the $1 Trillion Boom Driving Stocks to Record Highs Quick Read – CAT posted its first-ever $20B quarter while PLTR surged 23% intraday on 93% revenue growth, both riding the AI infrastructure boom. – Cramer tied both stocks…
the same $1.2 trillion data-center capex wave growing 30% annually, one supplying power, the other enterprise AI software. – Act now: the analyst who called NVIDIA in 2010 just named his top 10 AI stocks — and Caterpillar didn’t make the cut. Grab the names FREE today
Jim Cramer used CNBC’s “Squawk on the Street” on August 4, 2026 to frame the current tape as a generational setup for investors. Watching Caterpillar (NYSE:CAT) print a blowout quarter and Palantir (NASDAQ:PLTR) rip higher intraday, Cramer told co-hosts Carl Quintanilla and David Faber, “This is one of the most exciting moments I’ve ever been in the business. We’re talking about more than 1 trillion, 30% year-over-year growth in spend.” He was referring to the roughly $1.2 trillion data-center buildout tracking 30% year-over-year growth, the same figure his “more than 1 trillion” line rounds to.
That capex wave is showing up in the tape: the Dow was posting record highs and the S&P 500 was aiming for one at the open, while WTI crude sat at $76.58, the lowest since July 13. Caterpillar: The Data Center Company Quintanilla opened the segment noting “Caterpillar surging on a blowout quarter, helped by data center demand.” Cramer credited the company’s prior CEO for the strategic pivot: “Umpleby set this company up to be the data center company. You can string their turbines together, string some of their engines together, and generate as much wattage as you want.” Act now: the analyst who called NVIDIA in 2010 just named his top 10 AI stocks — and Caterpillar didn’t make the cut.