We're seeing the V-shaped recovery everyone was hoping for, Jim Cramer told his Mad Money viewers Thursday. The only problem is that the recovery is in the stock market and not in our economy.
Cramer reminded viewers that the stock market doesn't represent our economy, it represents the future of big business.
Compare that to a small restaurant that now must remove two-thirds of their tables to meet the new social distancing requirements. Big chains like Darden Restaurants (DRI) can make up the difference in fewer tables with takeout, but smaller restaurants cannot, said Cramer.
Let's take a look at the charts of DRI and think about returning to dining at the Olive Garden, LongHorn Steakhouse, and the Capital Grille, among others.
In this daily bar chart of DRI, below, we can see the huge decline in prices from February into March. Prices have partially recovered but with a number of corrections along the way. DRI is above the rising 50-day moving average line but still below the declining 200-day moving average line.
The daily On-Balance-Volume (OBV) line shows an up and down recovery from the March low but is actually at a new high telling us that buyers of DRI have been more aggressive for several weeks now.
The Moving Average Convergence Divergence (MACD) oscillator is still bullish since crossing the zero line in late April.
In this weekly bar chart of DRI, below, we can see an improved picture. Prices are still below the declining 40-week moving average line, but the weekly OBV line has moved up and the MACD oscillator has crossed to the upside for a cover shorts buy signal.
In this Point and Figure chart of DRI, below, we can see a potential upside price target in the $111 area.
Bottom line strategy: The U.S. economy is restarting and bigger chain restaurants should soon have the ability to open their outside and later the inside for dinning. DRI is pointed up and could see further gains. Traders could go long risking a close below $75.
