2012 JPMorgan Chase trading loss

In February 2012, hedge fund managers such as Boaz Weinstein of Saba Capital Management{{cite news |title=The Hunch, the Pounce and the Kill: How Boaz Weinstein and Hedge Funds Outsmarted JPMorgan |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2012/05/27/business/how-boaz-weinstein-and-hedge-funds-outsmarted-jpmorgan.html |newspaper=The New York Times |date=May 26, 2012 |author=Azam Ahmed |accessdate=May 5, 2013}} became aware that the market in credit default swaps was possibly being affected by aggressive trading activities. The source of the unusual activity turned out to be Bruno Iksil, a trader for JPMorgan Chase & Co. Market-moving trades by the bank's Chief Investment Office had first been uncovered in June 2011 by Dan Alderson, a reporter at trade journal Creditflux, which reported on anomalies in CDX HY index tranche pricing dynamics caused by Iksil's trading activity.{{cite news |url=http://creditflux.com/Newsletter/2011-06-01/Little-known-prop-book-makes-big-waves-in-tranches |work=Creditflux |title=Little known prop book makes big waves in tranches |date=June 1, 2011 }} The same journal reported on further tranche trading activity by the JP Morgan unit two months later. By 2012, heavy opposing bets to his positions had been made by traders, including another branch of JPMorgan, who purchased the derivatives that JPMorgan was selling in high volume.{{cite news |url=https://www.wsj.com/articles/SB10001424052702303299604577326031119412436?mod=wsj_share_tweet |work=The Wall Street Journal |first1=Gregory |last1=Zuckerman |first2=Katy |last2=Burne |title='London Whale' Rattles Debt Market |date=April 6, 2012}}{{cite news |title=As One JPMorgan Trader Sold Risky Contracts, Another One Bought Them |url=https://dealbook.nytimes.com/2012/05/15/as-one-jpmorgan-trader-sold-risky-contracts-another-one-bought-them/ |accessdate=May 16, 2012 |newspaper=The New York Times |date=May 15, 2012 |author=Azam Ahmed}} JPMorgan denied the first news reports, with Chairman and CEO Jamie Dimon calling it a "tempest in a teapot".{{cite news|title=In Scrutiny of JPMorgan Loss, Bigger Questions Left Unanswered|url=https://dealbook.nytimes.com/2012/05/16/in-scrutiny-of-jpmorgan-loss-bigger-questions-left-unanswered/|accessdate=May 17, 2012|newspaper=The New York Times|date=May 16, 2012|author=Jesse Eisinger|agency=ProPublica}}{{cite news|title=Dimon: London Whale issues "tempest in a teapot"|url=https://www.marketwatch.com/story/dimon-london-whale-issues-tempest-in-a-teapot-2012-04-13-937450|accessdate=November 14, 2018|newspaper=MarketWatch|date=April 13, 2012|author=Poly Lesova|agency=MarketWatch}} Major losses of {{USD|2}}{{nbsp}}billion were reported by the firm in May 2012 in relation to these trades. By this point, the issue was being investigated by the Federal Reserve, SEC, and FBI.{{cite magazine |title=More Bad News as FBI gets involved |first=Halah |last=Touryalai |date=May 15, 2012 |magazine=Forbes |url=https://www.forbes.com/sites/halahtouryalai/2012/05/15/more-bad-news-for-jpm-as-fbi-gets-involved/?sh=5bd5c5ca1df0/ |access-date=May 17, 2012}}

On July 13, 2012, the total loss was updated to {{USD|5.8}}{{nbsp}}billion with the addition of a $4.4{{nbsp}}billion loss in the second quarter and subsequent recalculation of a loss of $1.4{{nbsp}}billion for the first quarter. A spokesman for the firm claimed that projected total losses could be more than $7{{nbsp}}billion.{{cite news|title=JPMorgan Fears Traders Obscured Losses in First Quarter|url=https://dealbook.nytimes.com/2012/07/13/jpmorgan-says-traders-obscured-losses-in-first-quarter/|accessdate=July 13, 2012|newspaper=The New York Times|date=July 13, 2012|author=Jessica Silver-Greenberg|format=Dealbook blog|quote=On a conference call with analysts on Friday, Mr. Dimon said that the trade could result in another $1.7 billion in losses in the future, but added that the estimate was considering a worst-case situation.}} The disclosure, which resulted in headlines in the media, did not disclose the exact nature of the trading involved, which remained in progress as of May 16, 2012, as JPMorgan's losses mounted and other traders sought to profit or avoid losses resulting from JPMorgan's positions.{{cite news|title=JPMorgan's Trading Loss Is Said to Rise at Least 50%|url=https://dealbook.nytimes.com/2012/05/16/jpmorgans-trading-loss-is-said-to-rise-at-least-50/|accessdate=May 17, 2012|newspaper=The New York Times|date=May 16, 2012|author=Nelson D. Schwartz|author2=Jessica Silver-Greenberg}}{{cite journal|title=JP Morgan's $2 Billion-Plus Loss Came On Three-Legged Trade|journal=Dow Jones|url=http://www.efinancialnews.com/story/2012-05-16/jpmorgan-cdxig9-cds-whaletrader?mod=rss-investmentbankingl}} As of June 28, 2012, JPMorgan's positions were continuing to produce losses which could total as much as $9 billion under worst-case scenarios.{{cite news|title=JPMorgan Trading Loss May Reach $9 Billion|url=https://dealbook.nytimes.com/2012/06/28/jpmorgan-trading-loss-may-reach-9-billion/|accessdate=June 28, 2012|newspaper=The New York Times|date=June 28, 2012|author=Jessica Silver-Greenberg|author2=Susanne Craig}} The trades were possibly related to CDX IG 9, a credit default swap index based on the default risk of major U.S. corporations{{cite news|title=Making Waves Against 'Whale'|url=https://www.wsj.com/articles/SB10001424052702304587704577336130953863286?KEYWORDS=making+waves|accessdate=May 16, 2012|newspaper=The Wall Street Journal|date=April 10, 2012|author=Katy Burne}}{{cite news|title=Chart of the Day: London Whale trading|url=http://www.efinancialnews.com/story/2012-05-11/jpmorgan-iksil-cds-hedgefunds|accessdate=May 16, 2012|newspaper=Financial News|date=May 11, 2012|author=Farah Khalique}} that has been described as a "derivative of a derivative".{{cite news|title=Crony Capitalism: After Lobbying Against New Financial Regulations, JPMorgan Loses $2B in Risky Bet|url=http://www.democracynow.org/2012/5/15/crony_capitalism_after_lobbying_against_new|accessdate=May 16, 2012|newspaper=Democracy Now!|date=May 15, 2012}}{{cite news|title=JPMorgan Discloses $2 Billion in Trading Losses|url=https://dealbook.nytimes.com/2012/05/10/jpmorgan-discloses-significant-losses-in-trading-group/|accessdate=May 16, 2012|newspaper=The New York Times|date=May 10, 2012|author=Jessica Silver-Greenberg|author2=Peter Eavis}} On the company's emergency conference call, JPMorgan Chase Chairman and CEO Jamie Dimon said the strategy was "flawed, complex, poorly reviewed, poorly executed, and poorly monitored".[http://ftalphaville.ft.com/blog/2012/05/14/998601/two-billion-dollar-hedge/ "Two Billion Dollar Hedge"] Financial Times.

On February 2, 2012, at the Harbor Investment Conference, speaking to an audience of investors, Boaz Weinstein recommended buying the Markit CDX North America Investment Grade Series 9 10-Year Index, CDX IG 9.{{cite news|title=JPMorgan's future losses at the mercy of an obscure index|url=http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/international-business/jpmorgans-future-losses-at-the-mercy-of-an-obscure-index/articleshow/13200116.cms|accessdate=May 27, 2012|newspaper=The Economic Times|date=May 17, 2012|agency=Reuters}} This contract was a standardized credit derivative contract with an initial ten-year maturity, maturing on December 20, 2017. The price of the CDX IG index reflects the credit risk of an underlying basket of North American investment-grade companies. Weinstein had noticed this contract was an unusually cheap way to buy credit protection relative to other more liquid indices. It turned out that JPMorgan was shorting the index by making huge trades.{{cite news|title=I Was In The Room When Boaz Weinstein Revealed His Trade That Creamed JPMorgan|url=http://www.businessinsider.com/we-were-there-when-boaz-weinstein-announced-his-trade-that-would-cream-jpmorgan-2012-5|accessdate=May 27, 2012|newspaper=Business Insider|date=May 18, 2012|author=Julia La Roche}}{{cite news|title=To Understand JPMorgan's Trading Fiasco You Have To Go Back To 2005|url=http://www.businessinsider.com/timeline-jp-morgans-2-billion-trading-blunder-2012-5|accessdate=May 27, 2012|newspaper=Business Insider|date=May 19, 2012|author=Lisa Du}} JPMorgan's bet was that credit markets would strengthen; the index is based on 121 investment grade bonds issued by North American corporations. Investors who followed Weinstein's tip did poorly during the early months of 2012 as JPMorgan strongly supported its position. However, by May, after investors became concerned about the implications of the European financial crisis, the situation reversed and JPMorgan suffered large losses. In addition to Weinstein's Saba Capital Management, Blue Mountain Capital, BlueCrest Capital, Lucidus Capital Partners, CQS, III, and Hutchin Hill{{cite news|title=How Hutchin Hill Took Down JPMorgan|url=http://www.valuewalk.com/2012/07/hutchin-hill-took-down-jpmorgan|accessdate=July 9, 2012|author=Jacob Wolinsky}} are hedge funds which are known to have benefited from taking the other side of the trade to JPMorgan. A separate unit of JPMorgan was also on the winning side.

The $6.2 billion loss came from three positions that partially offset one another. It occurred when the world's financial markets were in relative calm. Had quality spread curves twisted or worldwide economic distress been more pronounced the loss could have been much higher.{{cite web|author=Wallace C. Turbeville|title=JP Morgan Chase Whale Trades: A Case History of Derivatives Risks and Abuses|url=https://www.demos.org/research/jp-morgan-chase-whale-trades-case-history-derivatives-risks-and-abuses|publisher=Demos |access-date=December 28, 2022}}

The Financial Times column "Alphaville" analysis suggests that these positions were not volatile enough to account for the full losses reported.{{Cite web|url=https://www.ft.com/content/a7c0b871-0ad7-3221-88c1-ed9f1d582dce|title=Financial Times content|website=www.ft.com}} (subscription required) They suggest that other positions are likely involved as well.{{Cite web|url=https://www.ft.com/content/ba0728ae-ebf1-3191-b377-d6b1f407941b|title=FT Content|website=www.ft.com}} (subscription required)

The internal investigation concluded in July 2012. It involved more than 1,000 people across the firm and outside law firm WilmerHale.{{cite news|title=Cold Eye Over 'Whale' Probe - J.P. Morgan Board Picked 'Tough as Nails' Director to Head Trading Inquiry|url=https://www.wsj.com/articles/SB10000872396390444508504577595260927581438#articleTabs%3Darticle|accessdate=August 22, 2012|newspaper=WSJ|date=August 20, 2012}} A report issued in January 2013 made the following "key observations"[http://files.shareholder.com/downloads/ONE/2272984969x0x628656/4cb574a0-0bf5-4728-9582-625e4519b5ab/Task_Force_Report.pdf "Report of JPMorgan Chase & Co. Management Task Force Regarding 2012 CIO Losses", January 16, 2013] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140319134801/http://files.shareholder.com/downloads/ONE/2272984969x0x628656/4cb574a0-0bf5-4728-9582-625e4519b5ab/Task_Force_Report.pdf |date=March 19, 2014 }}. Retrieved June 25, 2014

• "CIO [Chief Investment Office] judgment, execution and escalation in the First Quarter of 2012 were poor"
• "The Firm did not ensure that the controls and oversight of CIO evolved commensurately with the increased complexity and risks of certain CIO activities"
• "CIO risk management was ineffective in dealing with synthetic credit portfolio"
• "Risk limits for CIO were not sufficiently granular"
• "Approval and implementation of CIO Synthetic Credit VaR Model were inadequate"

In July 2017, U.S. prosecutors dropped criminal charges against two derivative traders from France and Spain after unsuccessful efforts to extradite them from their countries.{{cite web |last=Stempel |first=Jonathan |url=https://www.reuters.com/article/us-jpmorgan-londonwhale-idUSKBN1A62M9 |title=U.S. to drop criminal charges in 'London Whale' case |date=July 21, 2017 |work=Reuters |accessdate=July 21, 2017}}

The trades occurred within the Chief Investment Office (CIO), where staff were reportedly "faithfully executing strategies demanded by the bank's risk management model". This unit is reported to have very wide latitude in otherwise unsupervised trading. The company had been without a treasurer for five months during the time of the trades and had a relatively inexperienced executive, Irvin Goldman, in charge of risk management in the CIO.{{cite news|last=Fitzpatrick|first=Dan|title=Key Void at Top for J.P. Morgan|url=http://professional.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052702303879604577410612215377958.html?mod=ITP_moneyandinvesting_0&mg=reno64-wsj|accessdate=May 19, 2012|newspaper=The Wall Street Journal|date=May 18, 2012|author2=Steinberg, Julie|page=C1}}

The trades took place in a unit of JPMorgan that reported directly to Chairman & CEO Jamie Dimon. In Congressional testimony it came out that Dimon wanted to be responsible for what information was revealed, and information was withheld from the regulators. There had been a series of violations of the Sarbanes–Oxley regulations requiring certain protections.{{cite web|title=Business Daily|url=http://downloads.bbc.co.uk/podcasts/worldservice/bizdaily/bizdaily_20140901-0832a.mp3|publisher=BBC|date=September 1, 2014}}{{Dead link|date=May 2019 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}. Interview with Janet Tavakoli.

On May 10, 2012, Dimon announced that there was a loss of at least $2 billion through "egregious mistakes" in trading.{{cite journal |journal=Reuters |url=https://www.reuters.com/article/us-jpmorgan-risk-idUSBRE84H15120120518 |title=Analysis: JPMorgan to be haunted by change in risk model |accessdate=May 5, 2013}}

The Volcker Rule, part of the Dodd–Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act, bans high-risk trading inside commercial banking and lending institutions. The Volcker rule is sometimes referred to as "a modern Glass-Steagall firewall that separates core banking system from higher-risk, hedge fund-style proprietary trading".{{cite news |title=Senate JPMorgan Probe Said to Seek Tougher Volcker Rule |url=https://www.bloomberg.com/news/2012-09-21/senate-jpmorgan-probe-said-to-seek-tougher-volcker-rule.html |accessdate=September 21, 2012 |newspaper=Bloomberg}} The rule's implementation had been repeatedly delayed however, with analysts predicting implementation in 2014 and lobbyists simultaneously pushing to delay it longer. The final version of the Volcker Rule was passed on December 10, 2013, which was implemented in July 2015.{{cite web|title=Description: Final Regulations|url=http://www.occ.treas.gov/news-issuances/bulletins/2014/bulletin-2014-9.html|website=US treasury|accessdate=September 14, 2016|archive-date=August 22, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160822090621/http://www.occ.treas.gov/news-issuances/bulletins/2014/bulletin-2014-9.html|url-status=dead}}

Bloomberg News and Robert Schmidt identified several people at JPM involved in the lobbying and its government relations response.{{cite news|title=JPMorgan Drafts Republicans for Damage Control|url=https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2012-06-12/jpmorgan-drafts-republicans-for-damage-control|newspaper=Bloomberg / Business Week|date=June 12, 2012|accessdate=June 12, 2012}}

{{Portal|Banks}}

• List of trading losses
• Proprietary trading
• Rogue trader
• Speculation
• Swap (finance)

;References

{{reflist|2}}

;Sources

• https://web.archive.org/web/20130412010440/http://investor.shareholder.com/jpmorganchase/events-files.cfm

;Further reading

• {{cite news |last=Levine |first= Matt |date=May 11, 2012 |title= The Tale Of A Whale Of A Fail |url= http://dealbreaker.com/2012/05/the-tale-of-a-whale-of-a-fail/|website= Dealbreaker }}

;External links

• [https://purl.fdlp.gov/GPO/gpo41669 JP Morgan Chase Whale Trades: A Case History of Derivatives Risks and Abuses: Hearing before the Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations of the Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs, United States Senate, One Hundred Thirteenth Congress, First Session, March 15, 2013, Vol. 1] [https://purl.fdlp.gov/GPO/gpo41665 Vol. 2]

Category:2012 in economic history

Category:Derivatives (finance)

Category:Rogue traders

Category:Separation of investment and retail banking

Category:Banking controversies

Category:JPMorgan Chase