Negative reporting from MSM like WSJ is making it difficult for Americans to invest in stocks, Jim Cramer

Investor sentiment is dwindling because of grim headlines from mainstream media outlets like the Wall Street Journal, according to CNBC’s Jim Cramer. The Mad Money host believes news publications are spreading negative news about the US market, saying it’s becoming “so difficult to own American stocks.” 

Cramer gave his opinion on social platform X early Monday, asserting that the WSJ’s top stories were damaging to investor confidence. “The top ten stories in the WSJ today are even more negative than the top ten stories from yesterday!” he reckoned.

Lots of negative news reports on the US market state

Among the “front-page” stories on the publication is one headlined: “America’s Fiscal Situation Threatens the Good Mood on Wall Street.” The article explained how investors are selling US Treasuries, after financial firm Moody’s decision to cut the country’s last triple-A credit rating last week. 

In the bond market, Monday saw a sharp sell-off in US Treasuries, pushing yields to multi-month highs. The 30-year Treasury yield briefly surged above 5% before closing at 4.937%, up from 4.786% at the end of last year. The 10-year note rose to 4.473% from 4.437% on Friday.

“The size of recent budget deficits is particularly alarming because they’ve appeared during a period of economic strength,” said Christopher Sullivan, chief investment officer at the United Nations Federal Credit Union. “If we’re putting up deficits of this type now, what might it be like when the economy does run into any form of trouble?”

In another article, JPMorgan Chase CEO Jamie Dimon on Monday warned that US tariffs have not yet had their full economic impact. Dimon said the effects of new costs on goods and materials could slump company earnings and cause a pullback in the stock market.

WSJ also published a report about the US Justice Department charging a Democratic congresswoman with assault following a confrontation involving federal agents and Newark’s mayor outside an immigration detention center. 

WSJ made fake reports about Elon Musk, Tesla struggles

Earlier in May, a report from WSJ claimed Tesla’s board had begun looking for a new CEO because “Elon Musk was spending too much time in Washington, DC.” The Journal noted that Musk’s association with President Donald Trump has hurt Tesla’s image with some consumers.

During the earnings call, CEO Elon Musk promised to use more of his time on raising the stock price of the EV business and announced plans for a robotaxi rollout in Austin this June.

Analysts have continued to lower forecasts, now expecting 2025 EPS to fall to $2.03, down from $3.34 late last year. Yet, the stock’s price went up, pushing its 2025 price-to-earnings (P/E) ratio from 94.6 on March 31 to a staggering 172.02 by mid-May.

UnitedHealth rocked by DOJ probe report

Last Thursday, WSJ posted an exclusive on UnitedHealth Group. According to the publication, the Justice Department is looking into Medicare fraud involving the healthcare giant. The probe, reportedly overseen by the department’s criminal fraud unit, has been active since at least the summer of 2024.

This latest investigation joins a list of legal disputes for UnitedHealth. The company is also facing inquiries into possible antitrust violations and a civil investigation into its Medicare billing practices, as first reported by the Journal in February.

However, in a statement shared by The Kobeissi Letter, the company said it had not been notified of any such criminal investigation and accused WSJ of publishing “deeply irresponsible” news.

BREAKING: UnitedHealth, $UNH, says they have NOT been notified by the DOJ of the "supposed criminal investigation" reported by the Wall Street Journal.

UnitedHealth says this was reported "without official attribution" and the WSJ's reporting is "deeply irresponsible."$UNH… pic.twitter.com/Nml0plvfRJ

— The Kobeissi Letter (@KobeissiLetter) May 15, 2025

“The WSJ reported two completely fake news articles that sent the stocks falling. They are not to be trusted,” one commenter said on X.

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