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Here We Are Again! JPMorgan Sold Credit Derivative Protection On $177 Billion Of Junk Credits

The specter of credit derivatives, the theme of the book and movie “The Big Short” has returned!

From Wall Street On Parade:

According to JPMorgan’s 10K, it has sold credit derivative protection on $177 billion of “subinvestment grade” i.e., junk credits.

[When you sell credit protection, you are on the hook to pay the buyer if that entity goes belly up. When you are selling credit protection on subinvestment grade entities, it is far more likely that they could go belly up.]

JPMorgan Chase will likely argue that they have also purchased boatloads of credit derivatives, which might be on the same entities, but there is no way for anyone to accurately predict if this mega bank has aligned these risks correctly. Even the bank admits that, writing in its 10K the following:  

“JPMorgan Chase could incur significant losses arising from concentrations of credit and market risk. JPMorgan Chase is exposed to greater credit and market risk to the extent that groupings of its clients or counterparties:

“Engage in similar or related business, or in businesses in related industries;

“do business in the same geographic region, or;

“have business profiles, models or strategies that could cause their ability to meet their obligations to be similarly affected by changes in economic conditions.

For example, a significant deterioration in the credit quality of one of JPMorgan Chase’s borrowers or counterparties could lead to concerns about the creditworthiness of other borrowers or counterparties in similar, related or dependent industries. This type of interrelationship could exacerbate JPMorgan Chase’s credit, liquidity and market risk exposure and potentially cause it to incur losses, including fair value losses in its market-making businesses…

“JPMorgan Chase regularly monitors various segments of its credit and market risk exposures to assess the potential risks of concentration or contagion, but its efforts to diversify or hedge its exposures against those risks may not be successful.”

JPMC notional contracts:

Screen Shot 2019-04-09 at 9.46.55 AM.png

And protection sold (sounds like Frank Nitty from The Untouchables) ..

Screen Shot 2019-04-09 at 9.55.14 AM.png

Here we are again!

cjhere

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