He won the New York Press Club award for coverage of Wall Street research scandals.
During the financial crisis of 2008–2009, Gasparino played a major role in CNBC's coverage, breaking a number of stories, including the news that the U.S. Government was going to bail out insurer AIG, as well as news of the US government's broader bailout of the financial system, the Troubled Asset Relief Program (TARP).
"[4][5] A Financial Times profile of Gasparino illustrates his combativeness, describing him as a "pugnacious pundit Wall Street can't ignore", citing as examples Gasparino's frequent run-ins with colleagues, including then-fellow CNBC reporter Dennis Kneale, and cycling star Lance Armstrong.
The Financial Times quotes Goldman Sachs's then-chief spokesman Lucas Van Praag as saying "Most trading floors have CNBC on with the sound turned down, but when Charlie comes on, they listen.... [H]e does move stock prices.
[8][9] In one dig at his former channel, while CNBC was interviewing John Mack, chairman of Morgan Stanley, who declared on air that "[t]his doesn't feel like the crisis that I went through [in 2008], so I feel a lot better about it," Gasparino timed his report of Morgan Stanley's laying off 1,200 workers and closing up to 300 branches so that it aired opposite the interview.
"[4] In 2010, Marketwatch named Gasparino one of "12 Broadcasters Who Are Making a Difference", and The Daily Beast called him one of the "Top 15 "Economic and Business Commentators" (and the only television journalist on the list).
His comments were described as "a de facto racial slur" for suggesting Harris, who has held multiple high-profile elected offices, only received those positions due to her race and gender.
[21] In November 2007, HarperCollins released Gasparino's second book, King of the Club: Richard Grasso and the Survival of the New York Stock Exchange, which covered the rise and fall of former New York Stock Exchange head Richard Grasso, from the outrage occasioned by his near-$140 million compensation package.