JP Morgan Chase 2015 Annual Report Download - page 218

Notes to consolidated financial statements
208 JPMorgan Chase & Co./2015 Annual Report
Note 6 – Derivative instruments
Derivative instruments enable end-users to modify or
mitigate exposure to credit or market risks. Counterparties
to a derivative contract seek to obtain risks and rewards
similar to those that could be obtained from purchasing or
selling a related cash instrument without having to
exchange upfront the full purchase or sales price. JPMorgan
Chase makes markets in derivatives for clients and also uses
derivatives to hedge or manage its own risk exposures.
Predominantly all of the Firm’s derivatives are entered into
for market-making or risk management purposes.
Market-making derivatives
The majority of the Firm’s derivatives are entered into for
market-making purposes. Clients use derivatives to mitigate
or modify interest rate, credit, foreign exchange, equity and
commodity risks. The Firm actively manages the risks from
its exposure to these derivatives by entering into other
derivative transactions or by purchasing or selling other
financial instruments that partially or fully offset the
exposure from client derivatives. The Firm also seeks to
earn a spread between the client derivatives and offsetting
positions, and from the remaining open risk positions.
Risk management derivatives
The Firm manages its market risk exposures using various
derivative instruments.
Interest rate contracts are used to minimize fluctuations in
earnings that are caused by changes in interest rates. Fixed-
rate assets and liabilities appreciate or depreciate in market
value as interest rates change. Similarly, interest income
and expense increases or decreases as a result of variable-
rate assets and liabilities resetting to current market rates,
and as a result of the repayment and subsequent
origination or issuance of fixed-rate assets and liabilities at
current market rates. Gains or losses on the derivative
instruments that are related to such assets and liabilities
are expected to substantially offset this variability in
earnings. The Firm generally uses interest rate swaps,
forwards and futures to manage the impact of interest rate
fluctuations on earnings.
Foreign currency forward contracts are used to manage the
foreign exchange risk associated with certain foreign
currency–denominated (i.e., non-U.S. dollar) assets and
liabilities and forecasted transactions, as well as the Firm’s
net investments in certain non-U.S. subsidiaries or branches
whose functional currencies are not the U.S. dollar. As a
result of fluctuations in foreign currencies, the U.S. dollar–
equivalent values of the foreign currency–denominated
assets and liabilities or the forecasted revenues or expenses
increase or decrease. Gains or losses on the derivative
instruments related to these foreign currency–denominated
assets or liabilities, or forecasted transactions, are expected
to substantially offset this variability.
Commodities contracts are used to manage the price risk of
certain commodities inventories. Gains or losses on these
derivative instruments are expected to substantially offset
the depreciation or appreciation of the related inventory.
Credit derivatives are used to manage the counterparty
credit risk associated with loans and lending-related
commitments. Credit derivatives compensate the purchaser
when the entity referenced in the contract experiences a
credit event, such as bankruptcy or a failure to pay an
obligation when due. Credit derivatives primarily consist of
credit default swaps. For a further discussion of credit
derivatives, see the discussion in the Credit derivatives
section on pages 218–220 of this Note.
For more information about risk management derivatives,
see the risk management derivatives gains and losses table
on page 218 of this Note, and the hedge accounting gains
and losses tables on pages 216–218 of this Note.
Derivative counterparties and settlement types
The Firm enters into OTC derivatives, which are negotiated
and settled bilaterally with the derivative counterparty. The
Firm also enters into, as principal, certain exchange-traded
derivatives (“ETD”) such as futures and options, and
“cleared” over-the-counter (“OTC-cleared”) derivative
contracts with central counterparties (“CCPs”). ETD
contracts are generally standardized contracts traded on an
exchange and cleared by the CCP, which is the counterparty
from the inception of the transactions. OTC-cleared
derivatives are traded on a bilateral basis and then novated
to the CCP for clearing.
Derivative Clearing Services
The Firm provides clearing services for clients where the
Firm acts as a clearing member with respect to certain
derivative exchanges and clearing houses. The Firm does
not reflect the clients’ derivative contracts in its
Consolidated Financial Statements. For further information
on the Firm’s clearing services, see Note 29.