Description
Weekly trading service that recommends aggressive short term moves, often with options.
Overall Rating
Rating: 4.3/5. From 3 votes.
Please wait...
2.3
Rating from 16 votes
If you’ve subscribed to S&A Short Report (defunct), please click the stars below to indicate your rating for this newsletter, and please share any other feedback about your experience using the comment box below.
Investment Performance
Rating from 5 votes
Rating: 2.0/5. From 5 votes.
Please wait...
Your vote
- 5 Stars 1 Votes
- 4 Stars 0 Votes
- 3 Stars 0 Votes
- 2 Stars 1 Votes
- 1 Stars 3 Votes
Quality Of Writing/Analysis
Rating from 4 votes
Rating: 2.0/5. From 4 votes.
Please wait...
Your vote
- 5 Stars 0 Votes
- 4 Stars 0 Votes
- 3 Stars 1 Votes
- 2 Stars 2 Votes
- 1 Stars 1 Votes
Value For Price
Rating from 4 votes
Rating: 1.0/5. From 4 votes.
Please wait...
Your vote
- 5 Stars 0 Votes
- 4 Stars 0 Votes
- 3 Stars 0 Votes
- 2 Stars 0 Votes
- 1 Stars 4 Votes
Customer Service
Rating from 3 votes
Rating: 4.3/5. From 3 votes.
Please wait...
Your vote
- 5 Stars 2 Votes
- 4 Stars 0 Votes
- 3 Stars 1 Votes
- 2 Stars 0 Votes
- 1 Stars 0 Votes
Hi, Anaesthetic,
I’m not disputing your comment about the analyst that “He already has his trade placed before He `gives` you the recommendation.” But I am quite curious and like to learn more. Would you share your thoughts what evidence you’ve noticed to support that deduction?
Thanks in advance,
JPL
11-6-2009
The claim that Jeff Clark is front running his recommendations is a serious charge and I think Anaesthetic had better provide more evidence.
That said, there is no question that Jeff Clark has had a remarkably bad year. In response to John’s October 20, 2009 post: Yes, the most recent long play fizzled out — readers who bought the calls on EGLE stopped out with a 50% loss.
Bob,
Are you really that naive? About 90% of services are front running. There are very few really honest ones.
A friend and I subscribed to one of Jeff’s option services 2 years ago. He was wrong on 4 straight recommendations. Maybe we hit the wrong time? Q
Hi, Kim,
It looks like Anaesthetic might not respond to my query.
I’m a small investor presently subscribing to Stansberry & Associates’s newsletters, and they seem quite honest. However, it’s not my purpose to accuse or defend anyone, just curious about how to tell whether any analyst is actually front running or not.
Of course, your comment that “about 90% of services are front running.” isn’t a surprise to me, but what evidence does one look for? I sure like to know your views.
Looking forward to “hear” your response,
JPL
11-9-2009
Kim, what evidence do you have that 90% of newsletter services are front running? There are some sleazy “free penny stock recommendation of the day” sites I’ve seen that no doubt are front running (they have no other apparent way to generate income), but Stansberry & Associates has a strict rule against their writers having positions in the stocks or options they recommend. Porter’s opinions and rants can be annoying, and Jeff Clark has done worse in picking options than a dart board and a flipped coin, but neither you nor Anaesthetic has provided any evidence whatsoever that they are front running their recommendations.
Bob and JPL,
You are right, I don’t have any proof. And you are also right that big publishers like Stansberry & Associates might be among those who don’t do front running. All I’m trying to say is don’t be so surprised. Front running in general is very common practise among newsletters, it’s very difficult to prove, but you should not be so surprised and talk about “serious charge”.
Hi, Kim,
Thank-you for your response.
I agree with you that “front running … is very difficult to prove.” That’s why I was very interested in your insight, to determine whether one is front running or not.
In my opinion, scruples aside, why wouldn’t they front-run? Generally speaking, if they know of such a good stock, why wouldn’t they buy it first for themselves, before the price is pushed up by the subscribers?
To Bob and Anaesthetic,
I appreciate your comments too. Thanks.
JPL
11-14-2009
It is a “serious charge” — if it was found out the newsletter sellers could get in trouble with the SEC. I don’t think the more established ones would risk that, when they can just make lots of money selling their newsletters and never have to risk a dime in the markets.
And I thought it was just me. I took a three month trial subscription. However, I got frustrated very quickly because I could never get into one of his trades. Even if I was sitting at my computer, and went to my trading platform as soon as I got an alert, I still couldn’t get in at his limit prices. I finally tried jumping into a couple of trades beyond his limit price, but I couldn’t make money on the trades. I canceled after about 2 months, and got all my money back.
I have a lot of respect for Jeff Clark. His theories on market timing are very good. I know he is not front-running his trades, because Porter Stansberry has a strict rule against it. It is unfair to judge Jeff based on his performance during this epic bear-market rally. What we are experiencing now is a once in a lifetime event.
I decided to subscribe to Clark’s Short Report in Feb ’09. The market was tanking and I was looking for ideas to play the slide.
My first couple of ‘toe-in-the water’ trades went OK so I decided to follow Clark’s advice to the letter. BIG MISTAKE and I have only myself to blame. Almost every one of dozens of trades he has recommended has lost money and many have been complete wipe-outs.
At one point, I began to believe so fervently that Clark was right in that the market was going to go down at any minute I sold all my long positions and starting ‘investing’ in the short side.
I have since missed several $100k upside in the positions I sold and have dropped almost $60k in expired options. Plus I have 2000 shares of SRS for which I paid $36k for and is now worth less than $16k, thanks to Mr. Clark.
I think Jeff Clark talks a much better game than he plays.
I tried Jeff Clark’s S & A Short Report in 2006 and 2007 (when it was only $1,000). Although interesting to read, I experienced very few profitable trades. I keep getting e-mails from Stansberry & Associates promoting Clark as their #1 analyst. I see they are now charging $4,000 – that makes no sense to me based on my experience.
I have been subscribed to Jeff Since November of 2009 and he has yet to give me a losing pick. Now, He would say that some of his picks made 15-20% and then headed south. You can easily make money with his newsletter, BUT you have to be able to watch your position and know when to cash out, he’s not going to hold your hand, but as long as you set yourself some goals there isn’t a reason you can’t make great money with his weekly picks.
Was considering joining S&A short report, but after reading the reviews here I’ll stay way from it, especially at $4,000. I can pick my own losers without a huge subscription fee!
I am so glad I found this review site. I read the advertising piece and thought that I might give it a try. After reading the reviews, I will stay clear. Now the service cost $3000 and you can get a refund in 90 days less 10% if not happy.
Thanks everyone for your review.
THANK YOU ONE AND ALL FOR SAVING ME A “PANT-LOAD”OF MONEY. I WAS ALL SET TO BUY IN FOR 3K WHEN IT DAWNED ON ME TO CHECK OUT JEFF.AND THANK YOU “STOCK-GUMSHOE” STAFF FOR THE SERVICE THAT YOU PROVIDE US HERE WITH.
PERSONALLY I THINK HIS AD IS MISLEADING ; CATCHING VULNERABLE
PEOPLE WILLING TO BUY INTO HIS DECEPTION OF”BIZ IN 5 MINUTES”
P.T.BARNUM ONCE SAID,”THERES ONE BORN EVERY MINUTE”. YET THANKS TO THIS HERE FEED-BACK MADE ME CHANGE MY MIND TO KEEP
MY HARD EARNED MONEY SAFE.
Thanks All, for your candid reviews of the S&A Short Report, I will not succumb to their tantalizing offer just now,,, am unemployed with a nest egg and desperately seeking a way to make daily bill money for my family, and had a close call…. almost sent them a preciously needed $3,000 today.
Thanks Gumshoe for this site, I have used it many times to dodge financial hazards, and have benefited from it as well by investing in some of the solid investments that are confirmed here, Murl
Here’s one sign of how well the S&A Short Report has done: Porter Stansberry prides himself on issuing an annual report card of how well each of his newsletters has done. Well, for 2009 he decided not to report the performance of the S&A Short Report. His excuse is that it’s hard to calculate the performance of an option trading newsletter. This is nonsense, of course. For long option position you calculate profit and loss as for any stock (and if you’re honest, you poll your readers to find the entry and exit prices they were actually able to obtain, which are always worse than what the newsletter writer thinks they’ll get). For short option positions you remember to account for the standard margin requirements when computing any gain or loss. It’s not rocket science. The real reason for the lack of a report card is that the performance was as bad as the one and two star reviews say. (And to Fred — I hope your winning streak continues, but the odds are against it.)
If I had done the complete opposite of his trades I would have made a lot of money during 2008-2009. Not happy at all.
I have been a subscriber to this and other S&A reports for about two years. I selectively take picks from a number of the publications, and I continue to follow and use their reports. Overall, I am up as a result of using their services. However, my overriding complaint with S&A is a lack of true objectivity with their own performance. I really admire services that have the balls to run a real-time portfolio with their own picks. I think you would see different outcomes with their annual performance review if they were using actual real-time transactions in a real portfolio. I have also informed them of a couple of errors in their recommendations, with absolutely no acknowledgement or feedback regarding those errors. I noticed they stopped making an incorrect claim after one of my notices, but they never corrected the error.
Jeff – the Short Report – makes some very good calls. However, he also makes a number of really bad calls. When various S&A free marketing pieces are emailed, you will see a headline like “Jeff has another 100% winner.” The 50-100% losers are somehow forgotten. My suspicion is that if you followed 100% of Jeff’s recommendations, you would make money, but, it would be nowhere near the successes touted in their Emails.
S&A reports generally, and Jeff’s report specifically, are educational. You can learn a great deal about the markets and the economic world in general by reading their publications. I think there is value in S&A services if you become your own investor.