Cramer Says 'Nibble' Away At Tech, While Pro Likes Apple

At times when stocks as a whole are trading lower, investors tend to seek safety in steady consumer staple stocks like Procter & Gamble Co PG, which boasts an attractive dividend yield and small but steady growth, according to CNBC's Jim Cramer.

Not This Time Around

Instead of following the typical stock market downturn playbook and gravitating toward a name like Procter & Gamble, investors should instead buy beaten-up tech stocks, Cramer said during his daily "Mad Money" show Thursday.

The decision to focus on tech at a time when the broader Nasdaq index traded briefly in correction territory Thursday does have some rationale behind it, he said. 

Large money managers and small investors are sitting on "outsized gains" and may be guilty of selling "hand over fist" to lock in some profit, Cramer said. Investors should consider buying tech stocks that recently reported "great quarters or have been on a roll" but are being treated as if they're "doing poorly" by the Street, he said. 

Some of the examples Cramer offered include Autodesk, Inc. ADSK, Expedia Group Inc EXPE and Take-Two Interactive Software, Inc TTWO. These are among the tech stocks Cramer said investors should "nibble" at because there is still no guarantee that "the pain is actually over."

Todd Gordon: Apple Is Showing Support

At a time when the tech index is showing signs of weakness, the same can't be said for Apple Inc. AAPL, with a stock chart that's showing signs of strength, TradingAnalysis.com founder Todd Gordon said during a recent "Trading Nation" segment. Apple's stock is down just 4 percent this week as of Thursday's close, which is better than the Nasdaq 100 index's 6-percent drop ov the same period. 

Apple's stock is "behaving" after testing the $215 mark several times since the start of September and rebounding higher on several occasions, Gordon said. Investors are urged against buying call options in Apple's stock despite a bullish near-term outlook, he said.

The volatility in the broader market has resulted in "very pumped up" call option premiums, so even if option investors are on the right side of the trade, an investment can still lose money if the implied volatility drops, Gordon said. 

The TradingAnalysis.com founder said he's selling the November 2 $215 put and buying the November 2 $205 put for a credit of around $3. The bullish investment is based on the assumption that Apple's stock will remain above $205 per share through the option expiry date in early November.

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