Cramer explains the divergence in tech stocks – and why software may continue to lag
Jim Cramer marveled at the divergent fates of technology stocks — from hardware winners like Intel to software losers like Salesforce and Adobe.
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CNBC's Jim Cramer on Thursday marveled at the divergent fates of technology stocks — the hardware winners and software losers — and suggested it may remain this way for a while longer.
This divide had been one of the market's dominant themes in 2026 before the Iran war broke out Feb. 28. And now, even with the conflict paused in a "fragile truce," Cramer said the buy hardware, sell software trade has returned in full force.
"I'm talking about the enterprise software empire that's being toppled by hardware stocks and AI," the "Mad Money" host said. "This war in tech, more than the actual war in Iran, has captivated Wall Street."
Thursday's market action paints a clear picture, according to Cramer.
Just look at the underperformance in software names. Salesforce and Adobe fell nearly 3% and 4%, respectively. Cramer said the session's more than 4% decline in the IGV software ETF, a benchmark for the sector, was a read on investor sentiment as well. "This ETF is the primary way that big institutions bet on or bet against software," he added. This also means that even non-traditional software stocks like cybersecurity are taking hits just because they're in the fund. Case in point: CrowdStrike plunged 7.5% on Thursday.
On the other side of the trade is hardware.
Cramer said companies who are "killing it" are the ones that underpin the large-scale development of data centers and AI infrastructure. Semiconductor players Marvell Technology and Intel both gained nearly 5% during the session. Shares of Corning, which makes materials for data centers, rose 2.85%.
"If you're in the software camp, you're being treated as if you're ready for the embalmer," Cramer said. "If you are in the hardware and AI camp, you're headed for the pantheon of greatness."
Moving forward, Cramer said it doesn't look like this trend will change anytime soon either. "Here's the bottom line: maybe tomorrow we'll return to the worldwide narrative, whether it's war or peace in the Middle East," he said, a nod to the conflict-driven stock moves that have captivated the broader market for the past five weeks.
Cramer continued, "But, for now, it's just another day when hardware slew software like Cain slew Abel and all I can do is say get used to it."
