By Jim Cramer, TheStreet

 

Look at them go, the chosen few: Akamai (AKAM), Netflix (NFLX), Salesforce.com (CRM) and Chipotle (CMG). Four forces of nature. Three are directly involved with pulling things from the Net, and a fourth has the antidote to Burger King's (BKC) growth problems -- good, fresh, natural food. How opposite can that be!

 

Akamai and Netflix both reported "poor" quarters. Since Akamai reported its horrible, terrible quarter, its stock is up 33%. Akamai's crime at the time? Recognizing that it has secular growth and spending on it.

 

Netflix's crime? Same as Akamai's: spending for the future, spending on different, non-mail ways to get video to you. The stock has rallied 40% since that self-inflicted crime.

 

(At least Salesforce.com was recognized at the inception of the last quarter's announcement and is up 20% since the report.)

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I recommended Netflix and Akamai all the way down. I endured a heap of ridicule and the usual calls of "You don't know anything about anything." It is tiresome after 30 years to continually hear I know nothing. One day it will be enough. But in the interim, I can only say that you had to have faith in the managements of these companies to recognize that it is worth spending and expanding.

 

Funny, we want exactly what these companies have given us -- as opposed to layoffs and earnings-per-share gains from them -- yet they were punished severely for their foresight.

 

Talk about opportunity.

 

Anyway, the next question is always "Can it continue?" To which I say, I think so, but in some ways it isn't worth answering the question only to be told, again, that I have no idea what I am talking about.

 

So let's leave it at that.

 

Random musings: Alan Farley has a piece looking at Akamai's technicals. Definitely worth a look.

 

Jim Cramer is co-founder and chairman of TheStreet. He contributes daily market commentary for TheStreet's sites and serves as an adviser to the company's CEO.

 

Click here to learn how to follow Jim Cramer's trades for his Charitable Trust.

 

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