Mad Money Investment Themes for 2010

Wall Street’s concerns over the future of Fed Chairman Ben Bernanke appear to have abated. Mad Money host Jim Cramer believes that the markets avoided a 1,000 point decline, because a massive sell-off would have ensued if the Senate refused to confirm Mr. Bernanke’s appointment.

While the crisis seems to have passed, Mr. Cramer believes it’s important to note how quickly Ben Bernanke went from hero to scapegoat. The volatility of the Federal Reserve chairman’s image is a negative for the stock market. Given the increased volatility in the markets today, Cramer believes that investors should concentrate on the following investing themes.

Foreign stocks
Cramer recommends investors increase their allocation in foreign stocks to 25% of their total portfolio, up from his previous 20% recommendation. Cramer became more bearish on the domestic economy after Congress turned on Fed Chairman Ben Bernanke. Instead, Cramer advised investors to consider Brazil, Canada, Chile and Australia.

Gold
Gold prices have fallen since China decided to “slow things down”. Cramer believes that the correction in gold prices has nearly run its course and his favorite gold pick is SPDR GoldShares (GLD: 168.50 0.00%). The Mad Money host proclaimed, “gold must be an integral part of your portfolio.”

Mobile Internet Tsunami
Cramer has been a leading fan of the mobile internet revolution and believes that investors should hop onboard the wave. His favorite mobile internet stock is Apple (AAPL: 476.68 0.00%) which he says is “at the heart of a revolution in how the world gets its information.” Cramer also feels that Apple stock will be immune to further missteps from Washington.

Counter-terrorism
Since America must maintain a strong stance against its enemies, Cramer feels that counter-terrorism stocks like FLIR Systems (FLIR: 25.50 0.00%) and ArcSight (ARST: 0.00 N/A) should benefit. It’s also unlikely that President Obama will target these types of companies.

Oil
America is running out of oil resources and we are unlikely to break out dependence on foreign oil for many years. Cramer recommended Schlumberger (SLB: 78.41 0.00%) as a great energy stock to own given its strong international presence.