The banking landscape in the U.S. has changed drastically over the past few months. We anticipate further consolidation in the banking space, as the weaker players fail and the stronger players seek to build up their positions.
TheStreet.com's Jim Cramer says the next six components include one that may vanish from the index, as well as a top pick.
This is the third part of Jim Cramer's series of predictions for the Dow components in 2009. Be sure to read the first and second parts.
General Motors (NYSE: GM) (Cramer's Take): I believe GM will disappear from the Dow in 2009, a historic change. GM could, like AIG (NYSE: AIG) (Cramer's Take), become a zombie stock, if the common stock isn't crushed in 2009 by bankruptcy. The GMAC deal is a windfall for the company, though, and a "soldier on" situation could be in the works.
The best hope here is a Citigroup-like (NYSE: C) (Cramer's Take) investment where the common stock is bolstered, but the union situation makes it highly unlikely that the company's fortunes can turn. This one's problematic for my whole Dow Jones projections because I believe its near or total obliteration will allow the Dow keepers to replace it with something that can rally in 2009. Cost-cutting just won't make it; there is way too much overcapacity in this industry.
Fortunately, given its reduced size, GM's disappearance won't hurt the averages much. If you really like this one, please play the GM Senior Convertible Debentures C (GPM), which is a convertible preferred with a high yield.
In this article, we cite Merrill Lynch (MER), Bank of America (BAC), JP Morgan Chase (JPM), Citigroup (C), Wells Fargo (WFC), PNC Financial Services (PNC), Morgan Stanley (MS) and Goldman Sachs (GS). The banking landscape in the U.S. has changed drastically[More...]
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