TheStreet
TheStreet is a financial news and financial-literacy digital media brand offering free market coverage and paid investment research services.
Last updated August 26, 2026
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Overview
TheStreet is an American digital financial-media and financial-literacy brand founded in 1996 by financial commentator Jim Cramer and publisher Marty Peretz. It began as TheStreet.com, an internet publication focused on stocks, markets, business news, and practical investment information. The brand was created during the formative period of online financial journalism, when specialized websites were beginning to complement or challenge traditional newspapers, magazines, and television networks. The company expanded its editorial operation during the late 1990s. Dave Kansas became editor-in-chief in 1997 and opened a San Francisco bureau, helping broaden the publication’s reporting presence beyond its original base. TheStreet became a public company through an initial public offering in May 1999, during the peak of the dot-com boom. Its shares rose sharply on the first day of trading, although the company later suffered from the collapse of technology valuations. In December 1999, TheStreet entered an investment and content-sharing arrangement with the Israeli publisher Haaretz involving TheMarker, but the investment was subsequently impaired after the technology bubble burst. A United Kingdom edition launched in 2000 but closed later that year after funding was withdrawn. During the 2000s and 2010s, TheStreet developed beyond a single news website through acquisitions and investments. It acquired Stockpickr.com, BankingMyWay, RateWatch, and other financial-content or personal-finance properties. It also acquired The Deal, a publication and information business covering mergers and acquisitions, and later added DealFlow Report, The Life Settlements Report, and the PrivateRaise database. The company purchased BoardEx in 2014, extending its portfolio into executive and corporate-relationship information. Several of these assets were later divested, including RateWatch, The Deal, and BoardEx, as the company narrowed its focus and repositioned its portfolio. The brand’s editorial leadership changed repeatedly over the years. Former editors included Dave Kansas, David J. Morrow, Glenn Hall, William Inman, and Janet Guyon. Corporate leadership also shifted from Thomas J. Clarke Jr. and Daryl Otte to Elisabeth DeMarse, David Callaway, and Eric Lundberg. Jim Cramer served as chairman from 2008 to 2011, while continuing to be an important public association for the brand. TheStreet’s contributors and editors have included financial journalists and analysts such as Aaron Task, Herb Greenberg, and Brett Arends. In August 2019, The Maven acquired TheStreet for $16.5 million. The Maven later rebranded as The Arena Group in 2021, making TheStreet a brand within that broader digital-media portfolio. The company continued to combine advertising-supported editorial material with subscription products, including TheStreet Pro, an investment-research service associated with a stock-recommendation portfolio managed by Chris Versace. The brand has also experimented with adjacent formats, including a fantasy-sports partnership that produced Bull Market Fantasy with Jim Cramer. TheStreet’s present identity is therefore that of a digital financial publication rather than a standalone public company. Its business scope includes market and investing news, personal-finance education, stock analysis, newsletters, premium research, and related consumer-facing financial content. Its positioning rests on making market information and investing commentary accessible to individual investors while retaining paid products for readers seeking more structured recommendations and research.
History
TheStreet was established in 1996 by Jim Cramer and Marty Peretz as an online financial publication. Its early purpose was to provide market news, investing commentary, and financial information in a digital format at a time when web-based business journalism was rapidly developing. Dave Kansas became editor-in-chief in April 1997 and established a San Francisco bureau, strengthening the publication’s reporting capabilities and geographic reach. The company went public in May 1999 as TheStreet.com, Inc. The initial public offering occurred during the dot-com boom, and the stock experienced a dramatic first-day increase. The subsequent collapse of technology and internet valuations affected the company and contributed to the impairment of its investment in TheMarker, a business-news website launched by Haaretz in Israel. TheStreet also tested international expansion through a United Kingdom edition, but that operation closed in November 2000 after only several months of funding. Editorial leadership changed during the early twenty-first century. David J. Morrow joined as editor-in-chief in 2001 after Kansas’s departure. Glenn Hall succeeded Morrow in 2009, followed by William Inman in 2012 and Janet Guyon in 2014. Corporate leadership also changed substantially. Thomas J. Clarke Jr. led the company as chairman and chief executive during a period that included its first reported annual profit in 2005. Daryl Otte became chief executive in 2009, Elisabeth DeMarse became president and chief executive in 2012, and David Callaway took the chief executive role in 2016. Eric Lundberg succeeded Callaway in 2019. TheStreet pursued a broad digital-media strategy through acquisitions. In 2007 it acquired Stockpickr.com, Corsis and Promotions.com, followed by BankingMyWay and RateWatch. It acquired The Deal in 2012, then added DealFlow Report, The Life Settlements Report, and PrivateRaise in 2013. BoardEx joined the portfolio in 2014. These transactions expanded the company from a market-news website into a collection of financial publications, data products, and specialized information services. The strategy was later partially reversed: RateWatch was sold to S&P Global in 2018, while The Deal and BoardEx were sold in 2019. The company’s most important ownership transition came in August 2019, when The Maven acquired TheStreet for $16.5 million. The Maven rebranded as The Arena Group in 2021, and TheStreet became one of its continuing editorial brands. In the same broader period, TheStreet retained a mixed revenue model, combining free, advertising-supported content with paid services. TheStreet Pro became a prominent subscription offering, providing investment research and a stock-recommendation portfolio managed by Chris Versace. The brand also tested adjacent editorial and entertainment formats. In 2019 it partnered with Sports Illustrated Fantasy to launch Bull Market Fantasy with Jim Cramer, a channel offering fantasy-sports analysis and advice. During the COVID-19 pandemic, TheStreet received federally backed Paycheck Protection Program financing and stated that the funds would support the retention of 15 jobs. In April 2024, Todd Campbell was appointed deputy managing editor. In March 2025, Campbell and Daniel Kline were appointed co-editors-in-chief. TheStreet’s current identity is that of an active financial-news and financial-literacy brand within The Arena Group, serving individual investors through free journalism, market commentary, premium research, newsletters, and related digital content.
- 2025
Co-editorial leadership introduced
[1]Todd Campbell and Daniel Kline become co-editors-in-chief.
- 2021
The Maven becomes The Arena Group
[1]The parent company adopts The Arena Group name.
- 2019
Ownership transition to The Maven
[1]The Maven acquires TheStreet for $16.5 million.
- 2014
BoardEx acquisition
[1]TheStreet acquires BoardEx and expands into corporate and executive information.
- 2012
The Deal acquisition
[1]TheStreet acquires The Deal LLC, a mergers-and-acquisitions media business.
- 2007
Expansion through digital-finance acquisitions
[1]TheStreet acquires Stockpickr.com, Corsis, Promotions.com, BankingMyWay, and RateWatch.
- 2005
First annual profit reported
[1]The company reports its first annual profit under Thomas J. Clarke Jr.
- 2000
United Kingdom edition closes
[1]TheStreet withdraws funding from its UK edition, which closes in November.
- 1999
Initial public offering
[1]TheStreet becomes a public company during the dot-com boom.
- 1997
Dave Kansas becomes editor-in-chief
[1]Kansas takes editorial leadership and opens a San Francisco bureau.
Products and positioning
A consumer-oriented digital financial-media brand that combines accessible market journalism and financial education with paid investment research and subscription products.
Financial news · 1996
TheStreet financial news website
The core digital publication provides reporting and commentary on stocks, markets, companies, investing, and personal finance. It combines editorial articles aimed at general readers with market-oriented analysis intended for individual investors.
Investment research subscription
TheStreet Pro
TheStreet Pro is a paid research and subscription service designed for readers seeking more structured investment analysis than the free site provides. The service includes a stock-recommendation portfolio managed by Chris Versace.
Subscription publishing
Financial newsletters
TheStreet has used newsletters and premium editorial products to package investing commentary, market research, and practical financial guidance for paying subscribers.
Fantasy-sports media · 2019
Bull Market Fantasy
Launched with Sports Illustrated Fantasy, Bull Market Fantasy was an adjacent content channel associated with Jim Cramer that offered fantasy-sports insights, analysis, and advice.
Controversies
2009
Promotions.com revenue allegations and SEC penalties
After TheStreet acquired Corsis, including Promotions.com, and later sold the business to management, executives were accused of inflating revenues. The cited material states that penalties were paid to the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, but does not provide sufficient detail to identify all individuals, charges, or the final legal disposition.
Marketing campaigns
- 2019Bull Market Fantasy
United States
TheStreet partnered with Sports Illustrated Fantasy to launch Bull Market Fantasy with Jim Cramer, extending the brand into fantasy-sports analysis and advice.
Outcome. The source material does not establish the campaign's longer-term performance or current status.
Brand decisions
2019
Sell The Deal and BoardExM&ABackground
TheStreet continued simplifying its collection of specialist businesses after years of expansion.
Action taken
The company sold The Deal and BoardEx for a reported $87 million.
Aftermath
The divestitures preceded the sale of TheStreet itself to The Maven later in 2019.
Combined sale price. $87 million (February 2019)
2019
Sell TheStreet to The MavenM&ABackground
TheStreet was being repositioned within a broader digital-publishing portfolio after the disposal of several specialist assets.
Action taken
The Maven acquired TheStreet for $16.5 million.
Aftermath
The brand became part of the company later known as The Arena Group.
Acquisition price. $16.5 million (August 2019)
2018
Sell RateWatch to S&P GlobalM&ABackground
RateWatch was one of the specialist financial-information assets accumulated during TheStreet's acquisition period.
Action taken
TheStreet sold RateWatch to S&P Global.
Aftermath
The divestiture contributed to a narrower portfolio of owned media and information products.
Sale price. $33.5 million (June 2018)
2012
Acquire The DealM&ABackground
TheStreet sought to expand its financial-information portfolio beyond general market news.
Action taken
The company acquired The Deal LLC, a media business focused on mergers and acquisitions.
Aftermath
The Deal was later sold in February 2019 as TheStreet refocused its portfolio.
2000
Withdraw funding from the UK editionStrategyBackground
TheStreet had launched a United Kingdom edition in December 1999 amid its international expansion efforts.
Action taken
The company withdrew funding after nine months, and the UK edition closed in November 2000.
Aftermath
The decision ended TheStreet's early direct editorial operation in the United Kingdom.
Sources1 sources
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