Term sheet
To prospectus dated November 21, 2008,
prospectus supplement dated November 21, 2008 and
product supplement no. 175-A-I dated October 7, 2009

Term sheet to
Product Supplement No. 175-A-I
Registration Statement No. 333-155535
Dated October 7, 2009; Rule 433

     

Structured 
Investments 

      JPMorgan Chase & Co.
$
Market Plus Notes Linked to the iShares® MSCI EAFE Index Fund due January 12, 2011

General

Key Terms

Index Fund:

The iShares® MSCI EAFE Index Fund (“EFA”) (the “Index Fund”)

Upside Leverage Factor:

1

Payment at Maturity: If the Final Share Price is greater than the Threshold Value, you will receive a cash payment per $1,000 principal amount note of $1,000 plus the greater of:
  (i) the Fixed Amount of $190 and

 

(ii) $1,000 × the Index Fund Return.

  Your investment will be fully exposed to any decline in the Index Fund.

 

If the Final Share Price is equal to or less than the Initial Share Price, you will lose 1% of the principal amount of your notes for every 1% that the Index Fund declined beyond the Initial Share Price. Accordingly, if the Index Fund Return is negative, your payment at maturity per $1,000 principal amount note will be calculated as follows:

 

$1,000 + ($1,000 × the Index Fund Return)

 

You will lose some or all of your principal amount note at maturity if the Final Share Price declines from the Initial Share Price.

Fixed Amount:

$190 per $1,000 principal amount note.

Index Fund Return:

The performance of the Index Fund from the Initial Share Price to the Final Share Price, calculated as follows:

  Final Share Price – Initial Share Price
Initial Share Price

Initial Share Price:

The closing price of one share of the Index Fund on the pricing date divided by the Share Adjustment Factor.

Final Share Price:

The closing price of one share of the Index Fund on the Observation Date.

Threshold Value:

100% of the Initial Share Price.

Share Adjustment Factor:

1.0 on the pricing date and subject to adjustment under certain circumstances. See “Description of Notes – Payment at Maturity” and “General Terms of Notes – Anti-Dilution Adjustments” in the accompanying product supplement no. 175-A-I for further information about these adjustments.

Observation Date:

January 7, 2011

Maturity Date:

January 12, 2011

CUSIP:

48124AAH0

Subject to postponement in the event of a market disruption event and as described under “Description of Notes — Payment at Maturity” in the accompanying product supplement no. 175-A-I.

Investing in the Market Plus Notes involves a number of risks. See “Risk Factors” beginning on page PS-10 of the accompanying product supplement no. 175-A-I and “Selected Risk Considerations” beginning on page TS-2 of this term sheet.

JPMorgan Chase & Co. has filed a registration statement (including a prospectus) with the Securities and Exchange Commission, or SEC, for the offering to which this term sheet relates. Before you invest, you should read the prospectus in that registration statement and the other documents relating to this offering that JPMorgan Chase & Co. has filed with the SEC for more complete information about JPMorgan Chase & Co. and this offering. You may get these documents without cost by visiting EDGAR on the SEC’s website at www.sec.gov. Alternatively, JPMorgan Chase & Co., any agent or any dealer participating in this offering will arrange to send you the prospectus, each prospectus supplement, product supplement no. 175-A-I and this term sheet if you so request by calling toll-free 866-535-9248.

You may revoke your offer to purchase the notes at any time prior to the time at which we accept such offer by notifying the applicable agent. We reserve the right to change the terms of, or reject any offer to purchase the notes prior to their issuance. In the event of any changes to the terms of the notes, we will notify you and you will be asked to accept such changes in connection with your purchase. You may also choose to reject such changes in which case we may reject your offer to purchase.

Neither the Securities and Exchange Commission nor any state securities commission has approved or disapproved of the notes or passed upon the accuracy or the adequacy of this term sheet, the accompanying product supplement no. 175-A-I or the accompanying prospectus supplements and prospectus. Any representation to the contrary is a criminal offense.  


 

Price to Public (1)

Fees and Commissions (2)

Proceeds to Us


Per note

$

$

$


Total

$

$

$


(1)

The price to the public includes the estimated cost of hedging our obligations under the notes through one or more of our affiliates.

   

(2)

If the notes priced today, J.P. Morgan Securities Inc., which we refer to as JPMSI, acting as agent for JPMorgan Chase & Co., would receive a commission of approximately $12.50 per $1,000 principal amount note and would use a portion of that commission to pay selling concessions to other dealers of approximately $1.00 per $1,000 principal amount note.  This commission includes the projected profits that our affiliates expect to realize in consideration for assuming risks inherent in hedging our obligations under the notes.  The actual commission received by JPMSI may be more or less than $12.50 and will depend on market conditions on the pricing date. In no event will the commission received by JPMSI exceed $12.50 per $1,000 principal amount note. See "Plan of Distribution (Conflicts of Interest)" beginning on page PS-166 of the accompanying product supplement no. 175-A-I.

The notes are not bank deposits and are not insured by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation or any other governmental agency, nor are they obligations of, or guaranteed by, a bank.  The notes are not guaranteed under the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation’s Temporary Liquidity Guarantee Program.  

October 7, 2009

Additional Terms Specific to the Notes

You should read this term sheet together with the prospectus dated November 21, 2008, as supplemented by the prospectus supplement dated November 21, 2008 relating to our Series E medium-term notes of which these notes are a part, and the more detailed information contained in product supplement no. 175-A-I dated October 7, 2009. This term sheet, together with the documents listed below, contains the terms of the notes and supersedes all other prior or contemporaneous oral statements as well as any other written materials including preliminary or indicative pricing terms, correspondence, trade ideas, structures for implementation, sample structures, fact sheets, brochures or other educational materials of ours. You should carefully consider, among other things, the matters set forth in “Risk Factors” in the accompanying product supplement no. 175-A-I, as the notes involve risks not associated with conventional debt securities. We urge you to consult your investment, legal, tax, accounting and other advisers before you invest in the notes.

You may access these documents on the SEC’s website at www.sec.gov as follows (or if such address has changed, by reviewing our filings for the relevant date on the SEC website):

Our Central Index Key, or CIK, on the SEC’s website is 19617. As used in this term sheet, the “Company,” “we,” “us” or “our” refers to JPMorgan Chase & Co.

Selected Purchase Considerations


JPMorgan Structured Investments —
Market Plus Notes Linked to the iShares® MSCI EAFE Index Fund

 TS-1

exchange, settlement or maturity of the note (assuming such income accrued at a constant rate equal to the applicable federal rate as of the date of sale, exchange, settlement or maturity of the note).

Although the matter is not clear, there exists a risk that an investment in the notes will be treated as a “constructive ownership transaction.” If such treatment applies, it is not entirely clear to what extent any long-term capital gain recognized by a U.S. Holder in respect of a note will be recharacterized as ordinary income. It is possible, for example, that the amount of the Excess Gain (if any) that would be recharacterized as ordinary income in respect of each note will equal the excess of (i) any long-term capital gain recognized by the U.S. Holder in respect of a note over (ii) the “net underlying long-term capital gain” such U.S. Holder would have had if such U.S. Holder had acquired a number of the Underlying Shares at fair market value on the original issue date of the note for an amount equal to the “issue price” of the note and, upon the date of sale, exchange, settlement or maturity of the note, sold such Underlying Shares at fair market value (which would reflect the percentage increase in the value of the Underlying Shares over the term of the note). Accordingly, U.S. Holders should consult their tax advisors regarding the potential application of the “constructive ownership” rules.

Moreover, on December 7, 2007, the Treasury Department and the IRS released a notice requesting comments on the U.S. federal income tax treatment of “prepaid forward contracts” and similar instruments, such as the notes. The notice focuses in particular on whether to require holders of these instruments to accrue income over the term of their investment. It also asks for comments on a number of related topics, including the character of income or loss with respect to these instruments; the relevance of factors such as the nature of the underlying property to which the instruments are linked; the degree, if any, to which income (including any mandated accruals) realized by Non-U.S. Holders should be subject to withholding tax; and whether these instruments are or should be subject to the “constructive ownership” regime, which very generally can operate to recharacterize certain long-term capital gain as ordinary income that is subject to an interest charge. While the notice requests comments on appropriate transition rules and effective dates, any Treasury regulations or other guidance promulgated after consideration of these issues could materially and adversely affect the tax consequences of an investment in the notes, possibly with retroactive effect. Both U.S. and Non-U.S. Holders should consult their tax advisers regarding the U.S. federal income tax consequences of an investment in the notes, including possible alternative treatments and the issues presented by this notice.

Subject to certain assumptions and representations received from us, the discussion in this section entitled “Capital Gains Tax Treatment”, when read in combination with the section entitled “Certain U.S. Federal Income Tax Consequences” in the accompanying product supplement, constitutes the full opinion of Sidley Austin LLP regarding the material U.S. federal income tax treatment of owning and disposing of the notes.

Selected Risk Considerations

An investment in the notes involves significant risks. Investing in the notes is not equivalent to investing directly in the Index Fund or any of the equity securities held by the Index Fund. These risks are explained in more detail in the “Risk Factors” section of the accompanying product supplement no. 175-A-I dated October 7, 2009.


JPMorgan Structured Investments —
Market Plus Notes Linked to the iShares® MSCI EAFE Index Fund

 TS-2

JPMorgan Structured Investments —
Market Plus Notes Linked to the iShares® MSCI EAFE Index Fund

 TS-3

What Is the Total Return on the Notes at Maturity Assuming a Range of Performance for the Index Fund?

The following table illustrates the hypothetical total return at maturity on the notes. The “total return” as used in this term sheet is the number, expressed as a percentage, that results from comparing the payment at maturity per $1,000 principal amount note to $1,000. The hypothetical total returns set forth below reflect the Upside Leverage Factor of 1 and a Fixed Amount of $190, and assumes a hypothetical Initial Share Price of $55.00 and a hypothetical Threshold Value of $55.00. The hypothetical total returns set forth below are for illustrative purposes only and may not be the actual total returns applicable to a purchaser of the notes. The numbers appearing in the following table and examples have been rounded for ease of analysis.

Hypothetical Examples of Amounts Payable at Maturity

The following examples illustrate how the total returns set forth in the table above are calculated.

Example 1: The closing price of one share of the Index Fund increases from the Initial Share Price of $55.00 to a Final Share Price of $60.50. Because the Final Share Price of $60.50 is greater than the Threshold Value of $55.00 and $1,000 times the Index Fund Return of 10% is less than the Fixed Amount of $190, the investor receives a payment at maturity of $1,190 per $1,000 principal amount note.

Example 2: The closing price of one share of the Index Fund increases from the Initial Share Price of $55.00 to a Final Share Price of $71.50. Because the Final Share Price of $71.50 is greater than the Threshold Value of $55.00 and $1,000 times the Index Fund Return of 30% is greater than the Fixed Amount of $190, the investor receives a payment at maturity of $1,300 per $1,000 principal amount note, calculated at follows:

$1,000 + ($1,000 × 30%) = $1,300

Example 3: The closing price of one share of the Index Fund decreases from the Initial Share Price of $55.00 to a Final Share Price of $49.50. Because the Final Share Price of $49.50 is less than the Threshold Value of $55.00, the investor receives a payment at maturity of $900 per $1,000 principal amount note, calculated at follows:

$1,000 + ($1,000 × -10%) = $900

Example 3: The closing price of one share of the Index Fund decreases from the Initial Share Price of $55.00 to a Final Share Price of $0.00. Because the Final Share Price of $0.00 is less than the Threshold Value of $55.00, the investor receives a payment at maturity of $0.00 per $1,000 principal amount note, calculated at follows:

$1,000 + ($1,000 × -100%) = $0.00


JPMorgan Structured Investments —
Market Plus Notes Linked to the iShares® MSCI EAFE Index Fund

 TS-4

Historical Information

The following graph sets forth the historical performance of the iShares® MSCI EAFE Index Fund based on the weekly closing price of one share of the Index Fund from January 2, 2004 through October 2, 2009. The closing price of one share of the Index Fund on October 6, 2009 was $54.32. We obtained the Index Fund closing prices below from Bloomberg Financial Markets. We make no representation or warranty as to the accuracy or completeness of the information obtained from Bloomberg Financial Markets.

The historical prices set forth in the graph below have been adjusted for a 3-for-1 stock split that was paid on June 8, 2005. The historical closing prices per share of the Index Fund should not be taken as an indication of future performance, and no assurance can be given as to the closing price per share of the Index Fund on the Observation Date. We cannot give you assurance that the performance of the Index Fund will result in the return of any of your initial investment.


JPMorgan Structured Investments —
Market Plus Notes Linked to the iShares® MSCI EAFE Index Fund

 TS-5