Chaikin Analytics Review – Legit Service Provider?

Overview

• Name: Chaikin Analytics
• Founder: Marc Chaikin
• Website: www.chaikinanalytics.com
• Service: Stock research tools and portfolio management services
• Cost:
  • Chaikin Analytics Research & Analysis Membership - $2,195 per year
  • Newsletter: Power Gauge Investor - Price not indicated
  • Newsletter: Power Gauge Report - $49 (from $199) per year
  • Power Pulse Premium Application - $120 per year
  • Power Feed Newsletter - Free

Chaikin Analytics is a company set up by Marc Chaikin. It provides investment research based on what they call a "suite of groundbreaking stock tools."

It claims that both advisors and regular investors may benefit from Chaikin's services. The comparative advantage here seems to be the technical indicators the company uses.

Most research services mainly rely on the editors' judgment and experience. With Chaikin, it has technical tools for analyzing stocks.

In fact, its central system, Power Gauge, calculates stocks based on 20 factors. We will discuss this and other critical details in the subsequent sections.

Those who wish to avail of its services may choose from an array of options. The cheapest is a free newsletter, and there's a platform that's a little over $2,000.

We would also like to note that a collaboration exists between Chaikin and Stansberry Research. We have seen a direct link between the two companies in the newsletter, Power Gauge Report.

But the two seem to have other ventures together. Marc Chaikin was also a speaker at the latter's conference in 2021.

Such partnerships and linkages are common in the industry. We want to highlight them here so you can make your judgment if these associations are good or bad.

We are sure you have heard of the saying that birds of the same feather flock together. Whether you believe in it or not, we think you deserve to know the orbit of the companies you are interested in. 

More information gives you more power to make decisions.

In addition, when you look at Stansberry Research's website, you will see that it lists Altimetry and Empire Financial as collaborators.

We have written about a service under Altimetry on this website. Check out our Joel Litman’s Hidden Alpha Review so you can have an idea about the company.

You would also benefit from reading our article on Empire Financial Research as we went deep into its services.

Of course, with the involvement of Stansberry with Chaikin, the elephant in the room is the former's umbrella company.

In our review of Bill Bonner's The Agora, we have noted that Stansberry is within its network. You will also read about the various controversies and issues concerning Agora in the article.

Again, it's up to you to make a determination about these connections. For us, the most important thing is that you are aware of these facts.

What is Chaikin Analytics?

Chaikin Analytics is a company that provides investment recommendations based on its research and tools. 

Included in the arsenal of instruments is a system called the Power Gauge. Marc Chaikin claims that what he built four decades ago is now a gold standard in Wall Street.

People rely on it to determine if a stock is bullish or bearish. Marketing materials also say that regular and billionaire investors frequently use it as a guide.

Power Gauge and Chaikin, according to the claims, were already able to make many people a lot of money.

Stansberry even asserts that it is "arguably the most successful stock predictor" they've seen in their 22-year history.

While it is true that several investors have long used Chaikin's tools, we should not easily believe the press releases.

To a degree, the Chaikin tools are actually reliable. They would not last this long if they did not add value to investors, obviously.

But we are still not inclined to believe that they are crystal balls into the future. Unfortunately, this is the way Chaikin Analytics markets its products.

Instead of tempering subscribers' expectations, the company makes it appear that they are the ultimate keys to prosperity. Such language, we believe, does not help its cause. 

Since some data points and models make sense, Chaikin should just let the results and their track record speak for themselves.

The wild claims only make the company look suspicious and sketchy, so it is actually counterproductive.

The otherwise promising premise is that through its services, subscribers will have access to "cheat sheets." They will have the unique ability, therefore, to predict which stocks are worth investing in.

Chaikin claims that it looks at a number of significant factors before arriving at recommendations. The quantitative models the company came up with generate investing ideas for its subscribers.

In fact, the founder describes its centerpiece, Power Gauge, as a technical model that's "85 percent fundamental and 15 percent technical."

What's great about the system, Marc Chaikin claims, is that it relies on an algorithm. This is the difference the company has. All analysts, he says, are opinionated.

Often, their biases and preconceived notions cloud their judgment. As a result, you would see predictions from experts and billionaires that are way off the mark. 

So with Chaikin, you can be secure that the ideas are primarily based on objective metrics, not emotional decisions.

Who is Marc Chaikin?

According to his company's press release, Marc Chaikin is the "creator of one of Wall Street’s most popular indicators." 

Apparently, his system "appears in every Bloomberg and Reuters terminal in the world." Not only that, hundreds of banks, hedge funds, and every major brokerage site use his invention.

The system we are talking about, of course,  is the Power Gauge. It is the main selling point of Chaikin Analytics. According to the company, its founder is a genius for creating the stock indicator.

Are we to believe this? Well, such a bold claim requires much scrutiny, which is why we are here. So keep reading to know more details about the Power Gauge and the other stock research tools under Chaikin.

When you visit its website, Chaikin's profile indicates that he has spent 40-50 years as a trader, analyst, and stockbroker.

He was also part of Tucker Anthony & RL Day, a big-time brokerage firm where he served as head of the options department.

Apparently, he really is fond of creating technical models. Many credit him for creating the "first real-time analytics workstation for portfolio managers and other stock traders."

His page says that this is part of the Thomson Reuters institutional workstation. However, according to his Wikipedia page, his most significant inventions are the Chaikin Oscillator and the Chaikin Money Flow.

In 1982, he also became a host at Financial News Network, the previous name of CNBC.

These, among other reasons, are why Chaikin promos refer to him as a "living legend of the markets."

In fact, he says he was even able to predict the 2020 crash. But given all the rampant claims among editors, it seems like the question is: who hasn't called the 2020 crisis?

According to his profile, he already retired in 2000 after 35 years on Wall Street. But in 2008, he had an epiphany when his wife lost a lot of money because of a bad financial manager.

He realized that there are a lot of other Americans who are not getting the best financial advice. Instead of seeing more people gain financial independence, the opposite seems to be happening.

So he went back to business. But this time, instead of servicing the big financial guys, he wanted to serve regular investors. This is why we have Chaikin Analytics today.

He details this in a Yahoo! Finance article about why he had to go back to the finance world.

If true, this seems like an admirable goal. People do gain that perspective of giving back as they grow older. 

But then again, this is not the first time we have heard about such altruistic endeavors. We know how lucrative investment research can be for publishers and editors.

It can be easy money for them. They give recommendations (without personal risk for most) and earn from subscription fees. So, in the end, the proof is in the quality of the service they provide vis-à-vis the fees they charge.

Who are the Other Experts in Chaikin Analytics?

Marc Chaikin gets help from two colleagues in running the business. Carlton Neel is the company's Chief Executive Officer, while Pete Carmasino serves as the Chief Market Strategist.

As the CEO, Neel oversees product development and strategy. He is in charge of steering the ship as it provides income opportunities for readers.

As a Wall Street insider, he was among the youngest vice presidents J.P. Morgan ever had. He left after a while and joined Dr. Martin Zweig in mutual funds management.

Like Chaikin, Neel and his team developed "quantitative stock-selection and sector-analytic models" with Zweig. He was also in charge of looking after investments amounting to billions of dollars.

Among his expertise are open-end and closed-end mutual funds, variable annuities, equities, options, and foreign currencies.

Meanwhile, Carmasino boasts 25 years as an industry veteran.

His portfolio management experience comes from the likes of Prudential Securities, Lehman Brothers, Wachovia Securities, and PNC Investments.

As the company's main market head, he is responsible for helping subscribers understand the complex movements of the market.

Services

Chaikin Analytics has five banner offers. Choosing which to avail of depends on your investing goals and, of course, your budget.

Let us go through them in this section to give you an idea.

The primary service would cost you $2,195 for one whole year of membership. But this comes with a lot of critical services from Chaikin.

It includes:

• Chaikin Analytics Research & Analysis Platform
  

• Access to the Power Gauge Rating on over 5,000 stocks & ETFs
  

• Marc Chaikin's Market Insights Newsletter
  

• Pete Carmasino's Afternoon Insights Newsletter
  

• Access to the Discovery Engine, Chaikin Stock Screener, Buy/Sell Signals, Customizable Email Alerts, Earnings Insights, Portfolio Health Check, and Power Gauge Reports
  

• OptionsPlay Functionality
  

• Members-Only Content & Videos
  

As the flagship service, all the marketing push leads to this subscription option.

Another product of Chaikin Analytics is an application called Power Pulse Premium. The idea here is you can type any stock from about 4,000 that are out there.

You will then receive a rating that's either Bearish, Neutral, or Bullish. A 20-factor breakdown is also available if you want to dig deep into the specifics.

With $120 per year, the app also allows you to:

• Personalize the system
  

• Create your own dashboards within the Power Pulse system where you can monitor your entire portfolio
  

• Get email alerts on any Power Gauge rating changes
  

• Create your own lists of stocks and see earnings surprises, changes in Wall Street analyst opinions, and price-performance

• Tweak the system to follow any list of stocks you want
  

• Get alerts when it’s time to buy or sell
  

There are also three newsletters that are available. 

The first one is free, and it's called Power Feed. You just need to give them your email address (surprise, surprise), and you'll receive "stock ideas daily, earnings updates, and trends" in your inbox.

Here are the other features:

• Daily market updates, sector tracking, in-depth industry analysis, earnings updates, and actionable ideas

• Trending Gainers & Losers

• Industry in Focus

The next one, Power Gauge Report, costs $49 (from $199) for a year's worth of subscription. There is a particular push for this product because at the heart of it is the Power Gauge tool.

Depending on the link you click and the available offers, you will receive a package that includes a selection from these:

• One free year of access to the Power Pulse system

• Four Power Picks for Retirement

• Mystery gift ($1,000 value)

• The Power Gauge: How to Double Your Money on the Best Stocks

• Access to the Power Gauge Report that will be emailed to you monthly

• Special updates as needed

• Warnings and predictions from Marc Chaikin

These offers and special add-ons often change, so expect some changes when you click on an offer.

The third newsletter, Power Gauge Investor, seems to be a secret service of some sort. You will not be able to see a lot of details about it, and you need to call them to even ask about its price.

All that we know about it based on the website is that Chaikin's team analyzes all stocks in preparation for each monthly issue.

You will then receive a portfolio of stocks that could "double or triple your money." But the highlight is its number one stock pick with the "highest and fastest potential gain."

Track Record and Reviews

The press releases of Chaikin points to a number of seemingly endless examples of success stories. They are meant to prove that the company has a genuine track record of success.

We will not list all of them down here as this is not an advertorial for the company. But we will give you a so-called proof of Chaikin's reliability.

When the market was crashing in March 2020, Power Gauge gave a recommendation for people to buy Riot Blockchain. Marc Chaikin claims that he had no deep knowledge about cryptocurrencies at that time.

But the system predicted that it would do well in the weeks and months to come. According to him, this proved to be correct. Riot Blockchain, he claims, went up 10,090% within a year.

Apart from the claims on the website, though, we could not find proof from a third party that this is indeed accurate.

To be fair to Chaikin, the founder has developed technical tools used by so many in the industry through the years. So that's certainly a testament to his competence. 

However, this does not necessarily translate to the quality of his offerings under Chaikin Analytics.

In the Chaikin review page on Stock Gumshoe, you will see a 3.6/5 rating from about 60 voters. As always, the comments section provides us with valuable insights.

A comment from ernest fred seems to reinforce Marc Chaikin's reputation as a technician. The commenter was impressed by the key features of Chaikin's services.

This seems to be the tone of a few who gave their reviews on the site. One even said that he had saved a lot of time and money because of both the fundamental and technical analyses he gets.

Another user said that he finds the services useful. However, he says that he does not solely rely on Chaikin.

The key for him is to use it as one of many tools to "build a consensus for the health of my trading ideas and holdings." We think this is sensible advice as a way to balance the information one receives.

But this is only possible for those who could afford multiple investment research subscriptions. So it still is important to research well so that if you were to spend money on a service, it would be worth it.

There are also some negative comments, however.

Jerry Hardvall is suspending his judgment on the major technical features. But he is not too impressed with the quality of the newsletter he read.

Another user made a case for healthy skepticism. Take a look at the comment below. The questions he poses at the end makes a lot of sense.

Cost and Refund Policy

Cost

Chaikin Analytics offers a free newsletter called Power Feed. There are also two other newsletters: Power Gauge Report ($49 per year) and Power Gauge Investor (price not indicated).

The application, Power Pulse Premium, costs $120 annually.

If you want to enjoy all the premium services, you must be a member and shell out $2,195 per year.

Refund Policy

Most services offer a 30-day money-back guarantee. Just call its hotline, and Chaikin says they will return your money right away.

However, Chaikin Analytics Research & Analysis Membership does not offer cash refunds. Instead, they will give you a credit that you can use for their other subscriptions.

This is unfortunate as this is the most expensive offer of the company.

Pros v Cons

Pros

• Marc Chaikin has extensive experience as an investor and technical analyst
• Chaikin is known for the technical tools used by Nasdaq and Wall Street

Cons

• Overpromises on what the tools and newsletters can actually deliver since markets are naturally unpredictable
• No cash refund for the most expensive service offer

Conclusion - Can You Rely On The Company?

The unique selling proposition of the company is promising. You will get technical and fundamental analyses from a man known as a reliable technician in the industry.

It is particularly refreshing because an objective algorithm will be computing for worthy stock investments.

Most of the time, we only hear about editors giving their take on the market based on their opinions. But here, if the company is to be believed, a system will base its recommendations on 20 factors.

But based on our discussion, we also know that computers and tools, no matter how advanced, are not enough. If they were magic crystal balls, a lot more of us would be billionaires already.

So a human perspective is still necessary. 

But we have read about a comment that said that the newsletter he subscribed to from Chaikin was underwhelming. So is this a company not worth subscribing to?

Well, that is just one comment. We cannot rely on a single person's opinion about a product since it is possible that others have positive experiences with Chaikin's services.

So it all boils down to how much you value the kind of services the company offers. Do you appreciate their take on the market? Are you inclined to believe in the company's quantitative models?

We hope our Chaikin Analytics Review gave you the information you need and prompted you to ask the essential questions.