Five trends that emerged in the recent earnings season could determine investment opportunities for the rest of 2026, an assessment said.

CNBC reported on Aug. 6 that Jim Cramer (짐 크레이머) presented resilient consumers, artificial intelligence (AI) infrastructure, cybersecurity, mergers and acquisitions, and healthcare as promising investment themes.

Cramer said investors should look first at big market trends rather than individual companies when picking stocks. "I like themes," he said. "Themes help you build a portfolio of stocks that have tailwinds, not headwinds." He added that such stocks are ones you can confidently buy more of when their prices fall.

The first pillar he cited was consumer strength that is stronger than expected. He said worries about inflation and slowing consumption persisted, but earnings from banks, travel and retailers sent different signals. "We've repeatedly heard that the consumer is completely exhausted, but companies are saying something different," Cramer said. He mentioned Capital One, American Express, Ralph Lauren and Williams Sonoma. He said those companies continue to benefit from solid discretionary spending demand. Cramer's charitable trust holds Capital One shares.

AI infrastructure remains a strong theme, but he framed the approach differently. He said investors should focus on companies that supply semiconductor equipment rather than firms scrambling to buy memory. "In the data center area, all kinds of memory are in short supply," Cramer said, naming Lam Research, KLA and Applied Materials as preferred stocks.

He said cybersecurity also remains prominent. Some investors earlier this year thought the spread of AI could reduce demand for dedicated security software, but he said growing cyber threats have instead made security companies more important. Cramer picked CrowdStrike and Palo Alto Networks as representative stocks. His charitable trust holds both.

He said an expansion in mergers and acquisitions would be a positive for Wall Street. Companies are rushing to do deals while the regulatory environment is favorable, he said, creating opportunities for investment banks. He cited Goldman Sachs and Morgan Stanley. Cramer's charitable trust holds Goldman Sachs shares.

Healthcare, which he named last, is an option aimed at investors looking to spread funds beyond technology stocks. He said it can reduce concentration in tech while maintaining investment exposure to innovative companies. Cramer named Eli Lilly and Johnson & Johnson as beneficiaries. His charitable trust holds Johnson & Johnson shares.

Cramer said no theme can guarantee it will outperform the broader market. He added that identifying long-lasting trends first can give investors confidence to hold or increase positions even during inevitable pullbacks. "This quarter's information is fresh enough," he said, adding that choosing one of travel stocks, semiconductor equipment stocks, cybersecurity stocks, M&A-related stocks and medical technology could greatly increase the chances of gains for the rest of 2026.