Power Gauge Report Review (July 2026): Real Member Results

Disclosure (Jenna Lofton, StockHitter): Some links in this review are affiliate links. If you subscribe through them, I may earn a commission at no extra cost to you. I’m also a paying member of this service — this review is based on my own subscription access, portfolio tracking, and experience using the service since October 2021.

Last Reviewed July 2, 2026

Power Gauge Report Review: My Chaikin Analytics Review (4+ Year Member, July 2026 Update)

Hey folks, Jenna Lofton here. I first subscribed to this service back in October 2021. Not a free trial — I paid for it, renewed it, and have been tracking every single pick for over four years now.

Most reviews of this service are written by people who’ve never logged in. I have. What’s below comes from my actual members area as of July 2, 2026 — real tickers, real returns, and an honest read on what’s changed. I screenshotted the portfolio directly from the premium dashboard before writing this.

The top main portfolio position — a major U.S. financial services stock — is up 209.79% from its November 2023 entry. The top AI Pick is up 197.38%. And Marc issued a “Sell Half” alert on June 1st for an enterprise technology position that entered the portfolio less than four weeks prior, locking in a +94.58% gain. More on all of that below.

What The Power Gauge Report Offers – Quick Specs at a Glance

Is the Power Gauge Report Legit? (Or Is It a Scam?)

Chaikin Analytics is not a scam. It is a legitimate financial research firm founded in March 2011, originally called Chaikin Power Tools, and currently owned by MarketWise Inc. — a publicly traded financial publishing company (Nasdaq: MKTW). The Power Gauge system has been used by institutional money managers since before the retail newsletter existed.

I say that as someone who’s been paying for this service since October 2021, not as someone paraphrasing the sales page.

The skeptic’s case is worth addressing upfront. This is a newsletter pitched with aggressive marketing copy, a ticking countdown clock, and hyperbolic claims about trillion-dollar wealth transfers. That stuff is real and annoying. It doesn’t change what’s actually inside the service.

Here’s what makes it credible:

The Nasdaq Chaikin Indexes, powered by the Power Gauge rating system, have been independently tracked since April 2014. That’s not a marketing claim — it’s a verifiable index product on Nasdaq’s own platform. You don’t get that without a working system.

The Chaikin Money Flow indicator appears on Bloomberg and Reuters terminals and is covered by Investopedia, Fidelity, and Yahoo Finance. It predates the newsletter business entirely.

The model portfolio data I’ve shared in this review — the top portfolio positions both in triple-digit gains, the CrowdStrike exit at +70.66% three days before the July 2024 global outage — came directly from my dashboard. I’m not extrapolating from the sales page.

Is every pick a winner? No. One energy position is currently down 11.59%. AECOM stopped out at -29.26%. I’ve shown those numbers too. A service that only shows you the wins isn’t worth trusting.

Bottom line on legitimacy: Marc Chaikin has a 60-year verifiable Wall Street track record. The Power Gauge has institutional-grade roots. The newsletter has real losers alongside the winners. That combination is enough for me to call it legitimate.

Who Is Marc Chaikin?

Marc Chaikin is a 60-year Wall Street veteran and the founder of Chaikin Analytics. He built the first system that enabled traders to see market data and run financial analysis in real time back in 1989, which led to partnerships with some of the most respected names in institutional investing — George Soros, Paul Tudor Jones, David E. Shaw, Michael Steinhardt, and Steve Cohen among them.

He created the CMF (Chaikin Money Flow) indicator — covered by Investopedia, Fidelity, and Yahoo Finance, and found on Bloomberg and Reuters terminals worldwide. He helped create three new indexes for Nasdaq, where he once rang the opening bell. And he’s called nearly every major market turn since 2020 — the COVID crash, the V-shaped recovery, the 2022 bear market, the regional bank crisis, and the 2025 tariff selloff. CNBC’s Jim Cramer has said publicly: “I learned a long time ago not to be on the other side of a Chaikin trade.”

The thing that got my attention when I first subscribed was the Nasdaq partnership. Nasdaq partnered with Chaikin Analytics to bring the Power Gauge rating to the ETF market. That’s a verifiable third-party credential, not a marketing claim.

The Nasdaq Chaikin Indexes have been top-performing products in their category since launching in April 2014. Real track record — not just marketing claims.

Is Marc Chaikin Legit?

Note: Past performance does not guarantee future results. This is not investment advice.

Yes. The Nasdaq partnership alone settles this for me. You don’t get three indexes named after your system by being a newsletter marketer.

The broader Chaikin Analytics platform powers institutional tools that professional money managers pay thousands per month to access. The Power Gauge has a real institutional pedigree — it’s the same tool investors paid up to $5,000 a month to access before Chaikin brought it to retail subscribers.

What’s Included With Your Subscription (2026)

The current sales presentation is built around Anthropic and a potential catalyst Chaikin is flagging around mid-June 2026. The pitch centers on Anthropic’s Claude Code — referred to internally as “Project Tengu” in a widely-reported March 2026 source code leak.

Marc’s thesis: the same pattern that drove massive gains in AI infrastructure stocks after ChatGPT launched in 2022 is setting up again. This AI focus is deliberate — he’s targeting new stock picks in the agentic AI supply chain before the market fully prices them in.

The “$500 trillion wealth transfer” framing is aggressive marketing copy. But the underlying investment question — which publicly traded companies benefit from widespread AI coding agent deployment — is legitimate. It’s the same early-mover thesis that had the Power Gauge turning Bullish on Nvidia in 2014.

If you’re just getting started with fundamental analysis, you can use the Power Gauge to discover which earnings and financial metrics matter most when determining a stock’s true value.

Chaikin Analytics Features: What’s Included When You Subscribe

• One full year of the newsletter and full portfolio access ($499 value)
• One full year of access to the Power Pulse System — 5,000+ tickers, instant Bullish/Bearish/Neutral ratings ($1,000 value)
• BONUS REPORT #1: “The AI Cornerstone: Why It’s Time to Buy This Megatrend Winner” ($199 value)
• BONUS REPORT #2: “The $150 Billion AI Power Source: Inside the Tech Industry’s Favorite Energy Supplier” ($199 value)
• BONUS REPORT #3: “Amazon’s Silent Partner: The Key Supplier of the Trillion-Dollar Physical AI Revolution” ($199 value)
• BONUS REPORT #4: “Sell These Stocks Immediately: 5 Powder Kegs That Anthropic Could Set Off in 2026″ ($299 value)
• Daily email alerts and Bull/Bear market updates
• Full library of special reports and back issues, including Tomorrow’s 10x Power Trends
• Free one-year TradeStops Basic membership (portfolio tracking and stop-loss tool)

The four new bonus reports are all AI-focused and tied to the current pitch. Treat them as extras.

The core value of this subscription has always lived in the rating system and the model portfolio. Each monthly stock pick comes with fundamental and technical analysis — Marc explains the full thesis rather than just naming a ticker.

Real Portfolio Data: What the Numbers Look Like Right Now (July 2, 2026)

This is the part most reviews skip. Here’s what’s actually in the portfolio as of July 2, 2026, exported directly from my members’ area.

One note on how Chaikin calculates returns: Total Return includes dividends, measured against the original reference price. The portfolio page shows current open positions only — closed trades drop off the dashboard, which is one of the frustrating things about this service from a transparency standpoint.

Model Portfolio — 10 Current Positions (July 2026)

Eight winners, two losers. The top position — a major financial services stock — has compounded to +209.79% since its November 2023 entry. It went in at a mid-$40s price and has more than tripled including dividends.

The most notable recent alert is an enterprise technology position that ran nearly 95% in under four weeks. Marc issued a “Sell Half” alert on June 1st — take profits on the way up, not after the winner reverses.

The two losers are both recent entries, both still on Buy. The power generation position is down 11.59% and the leisure travel position is down 3.08%. Both have stop-loss levels in place well above current prices.

Chaikin’s AI Power Picks — 2 Positions

The AI Power Picks portfolio has been significantly streamlined. As of July 2, 2026 it holds just two positions:

The top AI Pick — a mega-cap AI and search company — is up 197.38% from an August 2023 entry. The AI infrastructure thesis has been right, and this pick was the Power Gauge’s way of expressing it without chasing speculative names.

The second AI Pick — a video communications platform — is up 19.28%. It shows the system isn’t just picking obvious mega-caps — it flags momentum shifts in companies others have written off.

The watchlist carries four names in quantum computing and next-gen battery technology, added in August 2023. These are monitoring positions only, not active Buy recommendations.

Closed AI Picks With Full Entry-to-Exit Records

The dashboard only shows open positions. Here are the five fully closed AI Power Picks I tracked from entry to exit — the only ones I can verify with complete records:

Three winners, two losers. Winners averaged +66.75%. Losers averaged -7.91%. The stock performance on the closed picks shows the stop-loss math clearly — gains run, losses get capped.

How Does the 30% Trailing Stop-Loss Work?

This is the most underrated part of the entire service. No other review covers it properly.

Chaikin uses a 30% trailing stop-loss on all positions, updated every Wednesday. Here’s what I’ve seen over four years:

CrowdStrike (CRWD): Entered August 3, 2023 at $157.55. The stop ratcheted up as the stock climbed. Triggered July 22, 2024 at +70.66%. Three days later, CrowdStrike caused a massive global IT outage that grounded flights, crashed hospital systems, and sent the stock into freefall. The trailing stop got subscribers out with a 70%+ gain right before the disaster unfolded. That’s not luck — that’s systematic risk management doing exactly what it’s designed to do.

Adobe (ADBE): Stopped out June 2024 at +52.01%. The stock has since fallen below that exit price.

Zebra Technologies (ZBRA): Stopped out March 2025 at -0.87%. Essentially breakeven. Capital preserved.

AECOM (ACM): The AECOM position (AI Power Picks, entered August 2025) is a useful example of the system capping a loss. It dropped steadily and stopped out at -29.26%. Painful, but without the stop it could have gone further.

How Does the Stock Screener and Rating System Work?

The Power Gauge screener is a computerized stock analysis system that evaluates 5,000+ stock and ETF tickers using 20 different factors across four categories and delivers a single stock rating: “Bullish,” “Neutral,” or “Bearish.” When a stock is rated “Bullish,” that’s a potential buy signal. When it’s rated “Bearish,” that’s a warning to consider selling or avoiding. Type in any ticker and within seconds you get a full breakdown.

Financials

Five factors covering price-to-book ratios, free cash flow, debt-to-equity ratios, and other key valuation metrics. These tell you about a company’s financial health and whether a stock is a value trap or a legitimate opportunity worth buying.

Earnings

Five factors showing current earnings, growth trends, earnings surprises, and earnings consistency. Critical for timing entries and understanding earnings momentum.

Technicals

Price movements, RSI, momentum, and other technical indicators that measure market sentiment. This is where market sentiment shows up and where you find better entry and exit points relative to the trend.

Experts — The Real Secret Sauce

This is where the Power Gauge earns its reputation. The Expert category tracks what analysts, short sellers, money managers, and insiders are actually doing with their money — including the Chaikin Money Flow indicator itself.

After four years of use, I’m convinced the Expert component acts as a “super-factor” that often overrides weak signals in the other three categories. Stocks with mediocre financials but strong Expert ratings tend to outperform. Stocks with great earnings but weak Expert signals are much more hit-or-miss.

In practice: the Power Gauge is momentum-weighted. It favors stocks where institutional money is flowing in right now — not stocks that look good on a spreadsheet. That makes it better for growth-oriented active investors than for pure value or dividend strategies.

What Is the Chaikin Money Flow (CMF) Indicator and How Does It Predict Stock Market Moves?

The CMF is the Power Gauge indicator at the heart of the Expert category. It tracks institutional buying and selling over 21-day periods. Readings above +0.05 signal accumulation (institutions buying). Below -0.05 signals distribution (selling).

During the 2024 market volatility, the CMF flagged several tech stocks shifting from Bullish to Neutral or Bearish about 10-14 days before they dropped 8-12%.

The Power Gauge turned Bearish on IBM in late December 2024 — six weeks before Anthropic’s tools erased $40 billion from IBM’s market cap. It turned Bearish on CrowdStrike before the cybersecurity giant lost $20 billion in two days. I watched both calls play out in real time as a member. Neither was a backtested cherry pick.

What Is the Earnings Quality (EQ) Feature — and Is It Worth It?

In February 2026, Chaikin Analytics launched a new Earnings Quality (EQ) component at their “Breakthrough 2026” event. The EQ rating layers on top of the standard Power Gauge output and focuses specifically on the quality and sustainability of a company’s reported earnings — looking at accruals to flag stocks where earnings might be propped up by accounting adjustments rather than real cash flow.

It is not included in the base subscription. You have to upgrade to the Platinum level or Breakthrough Investor service to access it.

My honest take after watching the rollout: the core rating system is already plenty powerful. The EQ feature sounds compelling in the marketing, but I haven’t found the base subscription lacking without it. Don’t let the upsell emails — and they do come quickly after you join — distract you from getting value out of what you already have.

Power Gauge vs. Power Pulse: What’s the Difference?

The Power Gauge is the underlying rating methodology — the analytical framework Marc Chaikin built. The Power Pulse System is the software platform subscribers use to access those ratings. When you type a ticker into the Power Pulse dashboard, you’re getting the Power Gauge output applied to that stock. They’re the same system; Power Gauge is the methodology, Power Pulse is the tool you log in to use.

OptionsPlay Integration: Strategy Overlays for Active Traders

If you’re interested in options trading on top of Marc’s stock picks, OptionsPlay provides strategy overlays showing optimal call and put plays based on the Power Gauge stock rating. It gives options traders a starting point for options strategies around the core recommendations. The options strategies shown are tied directly to the Power Gauge signal — if a stock is Bullish, you’ll see suggested call strategies; if Bearish, put strategies. It’s not a replacement for your own options analysis, but it simplifies the process of connecting options trading to the Power Gauge signal.

How Do I Cancel, Get a Refund, or Disable Auto-Renewal?

This is the single most complained-about aspect of Chaikin Analytics on Trustpilot and the BBB — and it’s completely avoidable if you act on day one.

The marketing says “30-day money-back guarantee,” which is accurate. But if you don’t manually disable auto-renewal, you’ll be charged $499 for the next year at the non-discounted renewal rate. I’ve seen people report this happening even after they thought they cancelled.

Here’s exactly what to do the day you subscribe:

Pros and Cons: What Works and What Doesn’t

What Works

• Top positions at +209.79% and +197.38% — both still open as of July 2026, with hard stops in place
• Enterprise tech position +94.58% in under 30 days with a disciplined Sell Half alert — the system takes profits proactively
• CrowdStrike stopped out at +70.66% right before the July 2024 global outage — this is risk management doing its job
• Closed AI picks: winners averaged +66.75% vs losers averaging -7.91% — the asymmetry is real
• Power Gauge screener covers 5,000+ tickers with institutional money flow as the anchor signal — I use it independently of Marc’s picks and it changes how you evaluate every position
• 60-year Wall Street track record with verifiable credentials — Nasdaq partnership, Chaikin Money Flow on Bloomberg/Reuters
• Low entry cost with 30-day guarantee — risk is minimal if you evaluate the screener seriously in that window

What Doesn’t Work

• One energy position down 11.59% and AECOM stopped out at -29.26% — the system has real misses
• 30-day guarantee is short — you get one monthly issue in that window. Not enough to fully evaluate a monthly research service
• Auto-renewal at $499 if you don’t disable it manually — widely complained about and a legitimate grievance
• Earnings Quality (EQ) feature locked behind an expensive upgrade
• Closed trades disappear from the dashboard — there’s no historical performance record you can browse as a member, which limits your ability to evaluate the full track record independently
• Learning curve if you’re new to technical analysis — Marc doesn’t simplify for beginners
• Monthly picks only — not built for day traders or anyone wanting frequent signals

Power Gauge Report vs. Motley Fool Stock Advisor: Which Is Better?

Power Gauge Report and Motley Fool Stock Advisor serve different investing styles and are not direct substitutes. Motley Fool Stock Advisor is better for buy-and-hold investors who want two curated picks per month and a simple, beginner-friendly interface. The Power Gauge Report is better for active investors who want a quantitative screener to evaluate their own picks plus Marc’s monthly recommendation.

The key differentiator is the screener. If you just want monthly stock picks, Motley Fool is simpler and cheaper at renewal. If you want to also run your own picks through an institutional-grade system between issues, Power Gauge justifies the premium.

How Does It Compare to Other Investment Newsletters?

This is the most expensive service in this comparison at the $149 entry price. What justifies the cost is the rating system — 5,000+ tickers, institutional money flow as the anchor signal, updated weekly. The 30-day guarantee is also the shortest here.

If you want a stock-picking newsletter without a research tool, Growth Investor at $49 or Hidden Alpha at $79 are better value plays. If you want the full rating system and will actually use it, the Power Gauge earns its premium.

Is the Power Gauge Report Worth It? Should You Invest in It? My Verdict After 4 Years

Still subscribed. Still plan to stay subscribed.

The top two positions are each deep in triple-digit gains. The overall stock performance across both portfolios has justified four consecutive renewals. The system flagged IBM and CrowdStrike as Bearish before major losses hit both stocks. The trailing stop exited CrowdStrike at +70.66% three days before the July 2024 global outage.

That’s not a curated highlight reel — that’s what my members area actually shows as of July 2, 2026.

The caveats are real too. The 30-day guarantee is short. The $499 auto-renewal catches people off guard. The closed trade history disappears from the dashboard. And the AI Power Picks are down to just two active positions, which is a big change from the broader portfolio structure I tracked in 2024-2025.

At $149 for the first year, the risk is minimal if you go in with clear expectations: use the system regularly, set your stop-losses, disable auto-renewal on day one, and judge it on the full 30 days — not just the bonus reports.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is It Worth the Price?

For active investors making 10 or more trades a year who will actually use the rating system, yes. The 5,000+ ticker tool with institutional money flow as the anchor signal is worth the price independently of the monthly picks. Passive investors who won’t use the screener will find better value elsewhere.

Is Chaikin Analytics a Scam?

No. Chaikin Analytics is not a scam. It is a legitimate financial research firm founded in March 2011, owned by MarketWise Inc. (Nasdaq: MKTW). The Power Gauge system has verifiable institutional roots — the Nasdaq Chaikin Indexes have been tracked independently since April 2014. The most common complaint is the $499 auto-renewal, which is a billing practice issue, not fraud. Disable auto-renewal on day one and it’s not a problem.

How Accurate Is the Chaikin Power Gauge?

Based on my tracking, five fully closed AI Power Picks produced winners averaging +66.75% against losers averaging -7.91%. The main portfolio currently has eight of ten positions in positive territory. The system’s real strength isn’t just picking winners — it’s the combination of the Expert factor (institutional money flow) and the trailing stop-loss that limits downside on the misses.

What Is the Refund and Cancellation Policy?

A 30-day money-back guarantee. Contact customer service within 30 days for a full refund. Important: subscriptions auto-renew at $499 if you don’t disable it manually. Go to your account settings and turn off auto-renewal on day one.

Who Is Marc Chaikin?

Marc Chaikin is a 60-year Wall Street veteran, founder of Chaikin Analytics, and creator of the CMF indicator found on every Bloomberg and Reuters terminal. He helped build three Nasdaq indexes and rang the Nasdaq opening bell. His early clients included George Soros, Paul Tudor Jones, and Steve Cohen. He came out of retirement after the 2008 financial crisis to build the Power Gauge system for retail investors.

What Is the Difference Between Power Gauge and Power Pulse?

The Power Gauge is the rating methodology Marc Chaikin developed. The Power Pulse is the software dashboard subscribers use to access those ratings. They’re two names for the same system: Power Gauge is the analytical framework, Power Pulse is the tool you log into and use to look up any ticker.

What Is the Earnings Quality (EQ) Feature?

The EQ feature launched in February 2026 as a new layer on top of the standard Power Gauge output. It analyzes the quality and sustainability of a company’s reported earnings, flagging stocks where earnings may be propped up by accounting adjustments rather than real cash flow. It is not included in the base subscription — you need to upgrade to the Platinum level or Breakthrough Investor service to access it.

How Does It Compare to Motley Fool Stock Advisor?

Motley Fool Stock Advisor is better for beginner to intermediate buy-and-hold investors who want two simple monthly picks. This newsletter is better for active investors who want a quantitative screener to evaluate any stock independently plus Marc’s monthly recommendation. The key differentiator: Power Gauge includes the Power Pulse system to screen 5,000+ tickers yourself. Motley Fool does not offer an independent screener.

Is It Good for Beginner Investors?

If you understand basic concepts like P/E ratios, market cap, and what a dividend is, you’ll be fine. If you’re completely new to investing and those terms are unfamiliar, start with index funds first. Marc doesn’t simplify his analysis for beginners, and the interface has a real learning curve.

Is It Good for Day Traders?

No. The system updates weekly and is built for swing trading and position trading with holding periods of weeks to months. If you want intraday signals, look elsewhere.

What’s the Difference Between the Main Portfolio and the AI Power Picks?

The main portfolio holds 10 positions across financials, materials, biotech, industrials, and tech. The AI Power Picks is a smaller sub-portfolio currently holding two positions. The main portfolio has been more consistent based on my experience. The AI picks carry higher volatility and a smaller sample size.

Any questions about my experience? Drop them in the comments.

Jenna

Other Recommendations

Over the years I’ve reviewed dozens of investment newsletters. I recommend checking out Altucher’s Investment Network, Jim Rickards Strategic Intelligence, Hidden Alpha by Altimetry, Stansberry Investment Advisory, and Louis Navellier’s Growth Investor.

Disclosure: Some links in this review are affiliate links. I may earn a commission if you subscribe. My opinions are based on active membership since October 2021. Review updated July 2, 2026.