Here is a review of the performance of Jim Cramer’s stock picks from Tuesday’s Mad Money show.

optionsXpress (OXPS: 0.00 N/A)
OptionsXpress jumped 2.3% after CEO David Fisher joined Jim Cramer on Tuesday’s Mad Money program to talk about the increasing popularity of options trading. Ten years ago, only Wall Street insiders traded options, but these days it’s becoming increasingly popular for the individual investor as well. Mr. Fisher indicated that only 10% of options traders use his company, providing the company with a large untapped market potential.

XTO Energy (XTO: 0.00 N/A)
Mr. Cramer again was extolling the virtues of natural gas on Tuesday’s Mad Money show. Carbon emissions could be reduced by as much as 50% if natural gas was used in place of coal or oil. XTO Energy rose after technical analyst Bob Simpson lauded the company for selling 40% of next year’s output at $9 when current natural gas prices are only at $3. The stock finished up 2.3% today.

Cramer’s Lightning Round stock picks:

Potash (POT: 46.46 +1.02%) dropped 0.8% – Cramer remains convinced that the stock is a buy and will likely go back up.
Altria (MO: 28.84 +0.07%) rose 0.4% – Cramer likes Altria’s management and their unbelievable 7.4% dividend yield. “This stock has $20 all over it”, said Cramer.
Sprint-Nextel [[S]] fell 0.5% – Cramer doesn’t believe the stock will turn in a good quarter and wouldn’t recommend buying unless the stock dips below $3.
Peabody Energy (BTU: 36.82 -1.58%) fell 0.2% – Cramer provided a lukewarm recommendation of BTU saying that if you have to own a coal stock then Peabody Energy is the best of the lot.

On Wednesday’s Mad Money show, Jim Cramer told investors that it’s not a question of whether or not to own gold, but how to own gold. Cramer believes that investors can capture some short-term gains by trading gold, as the metal seems to perform better in the second half of the year. Cramer recommended Agnico Eagle Mines (AEM: 35.50 -1.77%) as his favorite way to play gold sending the stock up 6.9%. The company continues to expand its production and has seen a 9% increase in its stock price since the beginning of the year. AEM stands to benefit from the rising price of gold since they don’t engage in hedging. Cramer continues to be bullish on gold overall with the uncertainty in the economy and the declining value of global currency. 

Another stock getting a boost from the “Cramer effect” was XTO Energy (XTO: 0.00 N/A). The stock gained 3.4% after a bullish recommendation from Cramer in the Lightning Round segment of Wednesday’s Mad Money show. Cramer called XTO “the signle best performing natural gas stock in history/”. 

Potash (POT: 46.46 +1.02%) jumped 3.0% after Cramer stated that fertilizer is one commodity that is immune to the influence of China. Potash is Cramer’s pick in the fertilizer space despite the falling demand seen in recent quarters. Cramer thinks orders will increase once again as the economy begins to recover and farmers see they can’t cut back on necessities like fertilizer for very long.