Yet another reason to avoid the talking heads in the financial media!

According to the investigative reporting of Eric Hananoki at Media Matters:

Charles Payne, a contributor and frequent guest host for Fox News and Fox Business, was compensated to promote the stocks of at least three companies since joining Fox. The practice of compensated stock endorsements is currently prohibited by Fox rules, and resulted in the recent contract termination of contributor Tobin Smith.

According to a Media Matters review, Payne was paid $40,000 to promote The Brainy Brands Company, “$25,000 by a third party” to promote NXT Nutritionals Holdings, and an undisclosed amount for a “consulting arrangement” to promote Generex Biotechnology Corporate.

Payne’s sponsored stock pitches shared a common theme: using his cable news and Fox credentials to assure skeptical investors that his advice was trustworthy. A direct marketing company which worked with Payne stated it brandished Payne’s Fox News connections “to build credibility” with his potential customers. The stock pitches were also used as a vehicle to entice readers to join Payne’s subscription newsletter.

Payne and his company, Wall Street Strategies, have a problematic history related to the disclosure of paid stock endorsements. In 1999, the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) announced that while not “admitting or denying” wrongdoings, Payne “agreed to pay a civil penalty of $25,000.” 

Source: Media Matters