Term Sheet
To prospectus dated November 21, 2008,
prospectus supplement dated November 21, 2008 and
product supplement no. 154-A-II dated February 5, 2009

  Term Sheet to
Product Supplement No. 154-A-II
Registration Statement No. 333-155535
Dated March 18, 2009; Rule 433

     

Structured 
Investments 

      $
Buffered Return Enhanced Notes Linked to the JPMorgan Commodity Curve Index — Crude Oil Excess Return Index due September 30, 2010

General

Key Terms

Index:

JPMorgan Commodity Curve Index — Crude Oil Excess Return Index (the “JPMCCI — Crude Oil Excess Return Index” or the “Index”).

Upside Leverage Factor:

At least 1.15*

Payment at Maturity:

If the Ending Index Level is greater than the Strike Level, you will receive a cash payment that provides you with a return per $1,000 principal amount note equal to the Index Return multiplied by 1.15*, subject to a Maximum Total Return on the notes of 40.25%*. For example, if the Index Return is greater than or equal to 35.00%, you will receive the Maximum Total Return on the notes of 40.25%*, which entitles you to a maximum payment at maturity of $1,402.50 for every $1,000 principal amount note that you hold. Accordingly, if the Index Return is positive, your payment at maturity per $1,000 principal amount note will be calculated as follows, subject to the Maximum Total Return:

 

$1,000 + [$1,000 x (Index Return x 1.15)]

 

* The actual Upside Leverage Factor, Maximum Total Return on the notes and the actual maximum payment at maturity will be set on the pricing date and will not be less than 1.15, 40.25% and $1,402.50 per $1,000 principal amount note, respectively.

 

Your principal is protected against up to a 15% decline of the Index at maturity. If the Ending Index Level is equal to or declines from the Strike Level by up to 15%, you will receive the principal amount of your notes at maturity.

If the Ending Index Level declines from the Strike Level by more than 15%, you will lose 1% of the principal amount of your notes for every 1% that the Index declines beyond 15%. Under these circumstances, your payment at maturity per $1,000 principal amount note will be calculated as follows:

 

$1,000 + [$1,000 x (Index Return + 15%)]

 

If the Ending Index Level declines from the Strike Level by more than 15%, you could lose up to $850 per $1,000 principal amount note.

Buffer Amount:

15%, which results in a minimum payment of $150 per $1,000 principal amount note.

Index Return:

Ending Index Level – Strike Level
                Strike Level

Strike Level:

An Index level to be determined on the pricing date in the sole discretion of the calculation agent. The Strike Level may or may not be the regular official weekday closing level of the Index on the pricing date. Although the calculation agent will make all determinations and take all action in relation to establishing the Strike Level in good faith, it should be noted that such discretion could have an impact (positive or negative), on the value of your notes. The calculation agent is under no obligation to consider your interests as a holder of the notes in taking any actions, including the determination of the Strike Level, that might affect the value of your notes.

Ending Index Level:

The closing level of the Index on the Observation Date.

Observation Date:

September 27, 2010

Maturity Date:

September 30, 2010

CUSIP:

48123LQ31

      

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. 154-A-II or early acceleration in the event of a hedging disruption event as described under “General Terms of Notes—Consequences of a Commodity Hedging Disruption Event” in the accompanying product supplement no. 154-A-II and in “Selected Risk Considerations—Commodity Futures Contracts Are Subject to Uncertain Legal and Regulatory Regimes” in this term sheet.

     
 

††

The pricing of the notes is subject to our special tax counsel delivering to us their opinion as described under “Selected Purchase Considerations — Capital Gains Tax Treatment.”

Investing in the Buffered Return Enhanced Notes involves a number of risks. See “Risk Factors” beginning on page PS-54 of the accompanying product supplement no. 154-A-II and “Selected Risk Considerations” beginning on page TS-3 of this term sheet.

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 or the accompanying prospectus supplement 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)

J.P. Morgan Securities Inc., which we refer to as JPMSI, acting as agent for JPMorgan Chase & Co., will receive a commission that will depend on market conditions on the pricing date. This commission will include the projected profits that our affiliates expect to realize in consideration for assuming risks inherent in hedging our obligations under the notes. In no event will that commission, which will include structuring and development fees, exceed $22.50 per $1,000 principal amount note. See “Plan of Distribution” beginning on page PS-88 of the accompanying product supplement no. 154-A-II.

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.

March 18, 2009


ADDITIONAL TERMS SPECIFIC TO THE NOTES

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 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, the prospectus supplement, product supplement no. 154-A-II 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.

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. 154-A-II dated February 5, 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. 154-A-II, 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 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 website is 19617. As used in this term sheet, the “Company,” “we,” “us” or “our” refers to JPMorgan Chase & Co.

What Is the Total Return on the Notes at Maturity Assuming a Range of Performance for the JPMCCI Crude Oil Excess Return?

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 assume a Strike Level of 430, an Upside Leverage Factor of 1.15 and a Maximum Total Return on the notes of 40.25%. 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.


Index Closing
Level

Index Return

Total Return


774.00

80.00%

40.25%

709.50

65.00%

40.25%

645.00

50.00%

40.25%

602.00

40.00%

40.25%

580.50

35.00%

40.25%

559.00

30.00%

34.50%

516.00

20.00%

23.00%

473.00

10.00%

11.50%

451.50

5.00%

5.75%

434.30

1.00%

1.15%

430.00

0.00%

0.00%

408.50

-5.00%

0.00%

387.00

-10.00%

0.00%

365.50

-15.00%

0.00%

344.00

-20.00%

-5.00%

301.00

-30.00%

-15.00%

258.00

-40.00%

-25.00%

215.00

-50.00%

-35.00%

172.00

-60.00%

-45.00%

129.00

-70.00%

-55.00%

86.00

-80.00%

-65.00%

43.00

-90.00%

-75.00%

0.00

-100.00%

-85.00%


 


JPMorgan Structured Investments —
Buffered Return Enhanced Notes Linked to the JPMorgan Commodity Curve Index — Crude Oil Excess Return Index

 TS-1

Hypothetical Examples of Amounts Payable at Maturity

The following examples illustrate how the total returns set forth in the table on the previous page are calculated.

Example 1: The level of the Index increases from a Strike Level of 430 to an Ending Index Level of 451.50. Because the Ending Index Level of 451.50 is greater than the Strike Level of 430 and the Index Return of 5% multiplied by 1.15 does not exceed the Maximum Total Return of 40.25%, the investor receives a payment at maturity of $1,057.50 per $1,000 principal amount note, calculated as follows:

$1,000 + [$1,000 x (5% x 1.15)] = $1,057.50

Example 2: The level of the Index decreases from a Strike Level of 430 to an Ending Index Level of 365.50. Although the Index Return is negative, because the Ending Index Level of 365.50 is less than the Strike Level of 430 by not more than the Buffer Amount of 15%, the investor receives a payment at maturity of $1,000 per $1,000 principal amount note.

Example 3: The level of the Index increases from a Strike Level of 430 to an Ending Index Level of 602. Because the Ending Index Level of 602 is greater than the Strike Level of 430 and the Index Return of 40% multiplied by 1.15 exceeds the Maximum Total Return of 40.25%, the investor receives a payment at maturity of $1,402.50 per $1,000 principal amount note, the maximum payment on the notes.

Example 4: The level of the Index decreases from a Strike Level of 430 to an Ending Index Level of 301. Because the Index Return is negative and the Ending Index Level of 301 is less than the Strike Level of 430 by more than the Buffer Amount of 15%, the investor receives a payment at maturity of $850 per $1,000 principal amount note, calculated as follows:

$1,000 + [$1,000 x (-30% + 15%)] = $850

Example 5: The level of the Index decreases from a Strike Level of 430 to an Ending Index Level of 0. Because the Index Return is negative and the Ending Index Level of 0 is less than the Strike Level of 430 by more than the Buffer Amount of 15%, the investor receives a payment at maturity of $150 per $1,000 principal amount note, which reflects the principal protection provided by the Buffer Amount of 15%, calculated as follows:

$1,000 + [$1,000 x (-100% + 15%)] = $150

JPMorgan Commodity Curve Index — Crude Oil Excess Return

The JPMorgan Commodity Curve Index (“JPMCCI”) is a family of one hundred-five single commodity indices, twenty-one sector indices, three energy light indices and three aggregate commodity indices, including the JPMorgan Commodity Curve Index — Crude Oil Excess Return Index (the “JPMCCI — Crude Oil Excess Return Index”), that seeks to offer a diversified and representative approach to passive commodity investing. Unlike other commodity indices, which generally focus exposure at a single maturity (traditionally, the front month contract or a single deferred contract), JPMCCI seeks to track exposure along the entire futures curve (i.e., exposure to futures contracts with different maturities) in proportion to their open interest.

JPMCCI, including the JPMCCI — Crude Oil Excess Return Index, uses open interest to determine the inclusion and relative weights of the individual commodities to arrive at a total market benchmark, which is based on the entire commodity curve. Each commodity’s monthly contract compositions are determined by reference to the historical distribution of the open interest of contracts across the futures curve for the relevant calendar month by reference to the preceding three years.

Although positions will be adjusted monthly, many contracts are deemed to be held in JPMCCI, including the JPMCCI — Crude Oil Excess Return Index, for multiple months because JPMCCI will synthetically own contracts at deferred points of the futures curve. Therefore, only a portion of JPMCCI’s nominal positions will roll each month. This is different from traditional commodities indices, which are generally deemed to have liquidated their current nominal holdings entirely after the end of the rolling period from one contract to another.

The value of the JPMCCI — Crude Oil Excess Return Index is published each trading day under the Bloomberg ticker symbol “JMCXCLER”.

Selected Purchase Considerations


JPMorgan Structured Investments —
Buffered Return Enhanced Notes Linked to the JPMorgan Commodity Curve Index — Crude Oil Excess Return Index

 TS-2

Selected Risk Considerations

An investment in the notes involves significant risks. Investing in the notes is not equivalent to investing directly in the JPMCCI — Crude Oil Excess Return Index or in any futures contracts or exchange-traded or over-the-counter instruments based on, or other instruments linked to the JPMCCI — Crude Oil Excess Return Index. These risks are explained in more detail in the “Risk Factors” section of the accompanying product supplement no. 154-A-II.


JPMorgan Structured Investments —
Buffered Return Enhanced Notes Linked to the JPMorgan Commodity Curve Index — Crude Oil Excess Return Index

 TS-3


JPMorgan Structured Investments —
Buffered Return Enhanced Notes Linked to the JPMorgan Commodity Curve Index — Crude Oil Excess Return Index

 TS-4

Hypothetical Back-tested Data and Historical Information

The following graph sets forth the hypothetical back-tested performance of the JPMCCI — Crude Oil Excess Return Index based on hypothetical back-tested weekly closing levels of the Index from January 2, 2004 through November 2, 2007, and the historical performance of the Index based on the weekly closing level of the Index from November 9, 2007 through March 13, 2009. The Index was established on November 9, 2007. The closing level of the Index on March 17, 2009 was 430.3741. We obtained the closing levels of the Index 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 hypothetical back-tested and historical levels of the Index should not be taken as an indication of future performance, and no assurance can be given as to the Index closing level on the pricing date or the Observation Date. We cannot give you assurance that the performance of the Index will result in the return of any of your initial investment in excess of $150 per $1,000 principal amount note. The data for the hypothetical back-tested performance of JPMCCI — Crude Oil Excess Return Index set forth in the following graph was calculated on materially the same basis on which the performance of the JPMCCI — Crude Oil Excess Return Index is now calculated.

The hypothetical historical values above have not been verified by an independent third party. The back-tested, hypothetical historical results above have inherent limitations. These back-tested results are achieved by means of a retroactive application of a back-tested model designed with the benefit of hindsight.

Alternative modeling techniques or assumptions would produce different hypothetical historical information that might prove to be more appropriate and that might differ significantly from the hypothetical historical information set forth above. Hypothetical back-tested results are neither an indicator nor guarantee of future returns. Actual results will vary, perhaps materially, from the analysis implied in the hypothetical historical information that forms part of the information contained in the chart above.


JPMorgan Structured Investments —
Buffered Return Enhanced Notes Linked to the JPMorgan Commodity Curve Index — Crude Oil Excess Return Index

 TS-5