Jim Cramer's popularity continues to mystify

Boston.com: High-energy CNBC program has developed a cult following on college campuses, reported on Dealbreaker.com

The 6 p.m. hour was once reserved for ESPN, but lately there's a different ritual in Prince Kyereme's Boston College dormitory room. A few times a week, just before dinner, he and his roommates gather around the television to watch a guy pick stocks.
Well, not just any guy: Jim Cramer, the balding, bearded host of CNBC's "Mad Money," whose television persona can best be described as unhinged. As he fielded calls from viewers over the course of one recent week, Cramer pounded on a table, waved his hands in the air, pretended to lash himself with a whip, attempted to fire his control room staff, and threatened to eat a vintage Sears, Roebuck catalog.

The current fad of Cramerism on college campuses is, I think, akin to the obsession with The Jerry Springer Show when I was an undergraduate: Bread and Circuses. Since my classmates and I used to play a Friday afternoon game in which we would drink a shot every time someone on the show threw a punch or said "Oh NO you didn't!" I suspect that one or more drinking games have evolved around watching Mad Money.

For the uninitiated, here's a sample of what Jim Cramer delivers:



And for an alternate perspective, these guys compare Cramer's track record against the performance of stocks picked by Leonard, a monkey.

Since November 1, 2005, Jim and Leonard's overall records are:

Jim Cramer - 116 wins, 100 losses, 31 ties
Leonard the Wonder Monkey - 100 wins, 116 losses, 31 ties

Ongoing Stats:
Jim Cramer is right 49.53% of the time.
Jim Cramer's picks average a 0.18% ROI after 30 days.
Leonard the Wonder Monkey is right 49.38% of the time.
Leonard's picks average a 0.27% ROI after 30 days.

Draw your own conclusions.

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