Cramer's Star Outshines His Stock Picks

[Joanne98]

JIM CRAMER'S CELEBRITY IS BIGGER THAN EVER. As financial markets came apart in October, more than 600,000 viewers turned to his Mad Money show -- the biggest crowd since the Nielsen Company started tracking the CNBC series. He is giving advice to huge audiences on NBC's Today Show and getting awestruck coverage in Esquire magazine.

And why not? An earthquake has hit Wall Street, and the 53-year old broadcaster has spent more time there than most any TV journalist. The guy is a hardworking genius with a word of advice for everyone...many words of advice, actually. He dispenses thousands of Buy/Sell recommendations a year and has declared that those stock picks will help you get rich.

The only regrettable thing about any of this is that CNBC and Cramer won't meaningfully discuss how his advice pans out.

Cramer's recommendations underperform the market by most measures. From May to December of last year, for example, the market lost about 30%. Heeding Cramer's Buys and Sells would have added another five percentage points to that loss, according to our latest tally.

http://online.barrons.com/public/article/SB123397107399659271.html

[Idealism]

1. Only 5% worse than the average? Congrats, Cramer

I would've thought easily 15% under the street averages!

He is a complete fool.

[Joanne98]

2. Lol. I know I thought it was at least 15% too. They must be counting the dividends

A year in advance.

[Idealism]

4. I wouldn't doubt it

Some of his picks were paying out crazy dividends for this market. I sometimes think he picks them based more on dividends than the stocks portfolio...

[stillcool]

3. sounds like a cat-fight...

I don't watch either. I think Cramer and Pat Buchanan should do a show together, along with Crazy Eddie from those old tv ads.

Yet the last time Barron's inquired about Cramer's stock-picking, CNBC responded with cherry-picked success stories; lawyers; calls to Dow Jones executives; and an end to Barron's regular presence on CNBC. Cramer shouted to his viewers that we were know-nothings and assured them that his Mad Money picks had "killed" the Standard & Poor's 500 index. This time around, CNBC wouldn't let us near their headliner and said our questions were aimed at helping CNBC's less-watched rival, Fox Business News (owned by News Corp. , as is Barron's).

"You wrote a premeditated hatchet job to curry favor with your new bosses at News Corp.," said CNBC's Steel on Friday. " doesn't consider you a journalist."

[Joanne98]

5. hahaha