Now more than ever, business media strives to both entertain and inform their viewership. Investors can turn on CNBC for an entire trading day and not hear the same conversation more than once. Heated debates, on-air jokes, and infamous tirades are now regular occurrences on business TV. This has boosted ratings and, in turn, increased the power of business media.
As business media has grown in popularity, a handful of regular on-air personalities have acquired the power to move the trading tape simply by discussing a particular stock. Other on-air personalities have been pioneers of shaping the business media industry. Here are some of the most powerful and influential figures in business media.
Jim Cramer
Jim Cramer is the charismatic host of the popular stock market show Mad Money, which airs Monday through Friday at 6pm ET on CNBC. Cramer strives to provide stock tips and investment advice for the medium to long-term average investor. He is known for his passionate, boisterous energy on his shows.
In the finance world, Cramer has far more influence than any other talk show host in the business. When Cramer recommends a stock or hosts a CEO on his show, shares of that company tend to trade higher. Some smaller companies have even risen over 10 percent in the next trading day after a blessing from Cramer. With a daily slot in primetime and an enormous viewership, Cramer certainly has immense influence on Wall Street.
Carl Icahn
Known for his hostile takeover strategies and long career of successful investing, Icahn is a regular guest on business television shows. He has had immense recent success with bullish bets on Netflix ($NFLX) and Herbalife ($HLF), among others. He recently attempted to buyout Dell and, in typical Icahn fashion, is trying to convince Apple ($AAPL) to completely rethink its capital distribution plans.
A blessing and investment from Icahn is one of the greatest things that can happen to a stock. Icahn has the ability to drastically move trading tape with only a few words, and can even boost the share price of companies of any size when he buys a stake. He regularly appears on CNBC and in January 2013 got into an epic showdown with Bill Ackman on live TV over Herbalife stock.
David Einhorn
David Einhorn is widely considered one of the best and most respected hedge fund managers in the business. His firm Greenlight Capital has returned approximately 20 percent annualized to investors, far outperforming the market and most of his peers. Einhorn is famous for correct short predictions on Lehman Brothers, Allied Capital, and Green Mountain Coffee Roasters ($GMCR).
Consequently, a public condemnation from Einhorn is close to the kiss of death. He is seldom wrong with his big predictions, and Einhorn has the ability to dramatically move trading tape. As a frequent guest on CNBC, Einhorn uses air time to speak out against investment banking practices, promote his hedge fund, and bring attention to his stock predictions, often accelerating a stock’s imminent rise or fall.
Maria Bartiromo
After working for CNN Business News, Maria Bartiromo began working for CNBC in 1993. She originally reported live from the NYSE trading floor and contributed to a number of live stock market shows like Market Watch and Squawk Box. Years later, she was given her own show On the Money with Maria Bartiromo, while simultaneously maintaining her star roles on Market Watch and Squawk Box.
Known in the business world as the “Money Honey” for being the first woman to report from the trading floor, Bartiromo has been one of the most recognizable and influential women on television. She left CNBC on November 18, 2013 on good terms and will soon begin anchoring a daily market show on Fox Business. She will also have other roles with the Fox family of networks.
Honorable Mentions:
These two talk show hosts have less influence on financial markets, but immense importance in the world of personal finance.
Suze Orman
After working as a financial advisor for Merrill Lynch and the president of investments for Prudential Bache Securities, Suze Orman began The Suze Orman Show, which airs on CNBC on Saturday mornings. Suze Orman gives advice on investing, saving, spending, and all other personal financial matters.
Orman is an exemplary motivational speaker and isn’t afraid to speak her mind on her show or in public. She was named in the Forbes’ “The World’s 100 Most Powerful Women,” as well as the “Time 100, The World’s Most Influential People.” She is also a two-time Emmy winner and a best-selling author.
Dave Ramsey
Dave Ramsey is a financial author, television personality, motivational speaker, and host of the popular radio program, The Dave Ramsey Show. The program is broadcasted on over 500 radio stations in the United States and Canada and focuses on helping and motivating people to get out of debt.
Joe Goldman
Joe Goldman is a staff writer for Equities.com. He is currently working towards his business degree at the University of Southern California’s Marshall School of Business and minors in economics and sports media. At USC, he worked in marketing and sales for the USC Athletic Department. He also worked as a writer for Bleacher Report, where he wrote and published articles of all sports-related topics. Joe has a natural interest in finance, as he traded his first stock in the 7th grade. Writing for Equities.com is his first experience in financial writing, and he hopes to further develop his finance knowledge and writing skills.
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