Term sheet
To prospectus dated November 21, 2008,
prospectus supplement dated November 21, 2008 and
product supplement no. 146-A-I dated November 24, 2008

  Term Sheet to
Product Supplement No. 146-A-I
Registration Statement No. 333-155535
Dated April 16, 2010; Rule 433

     

Structured 
Investments 

      $
Buffered Return Enhanced Notes Linked to the Performance of an Equally Weighted Basket of Three Currencies Relative to the European Union Euro due April    , 2013

General

Key Terms

Basket:

An equally weighted basket of three currencies (each a “Reference Currency,” and together, the “Reference Currencies”) that measures the performance of the Reference Currencies relative to the European Union euro (the “Basket”).

Reference Currency Weights:

The following table sets forth the Reference Currencies, the Starting Spot Rate for each Reference Currency, the applicable Reuters Page and the weighting of each Reference Currency:

 

Reference Currency

Starting Spot Rate

Reuters Page

Reference
Currency
Weight

 

 

Australian dollar (AUD)

 

ECB37; WMRSPOT12 = (USD/EUR)/(USD/AUD)

1/3

 

Brazilian real (BRL)

 

ECB37; BRFR (offer rate) = (USD/EUR)/(USD/BRL)

1/3

 

Chinese renminbi (CNY)

 

ECB37; SAEC = (USD/EUR)/(USD/CNY)

1/3

 

The Starting Spot Rate of each Reference Currency is expressed in terms of a number of Euros per one Reference Currency and is equal to one divided by a fraction, the numerator of which is a number of U.S. dollars per one European Union euro and the denominator of which is a number of U.S. dollars per one unit of the applicable Reference Currency, as determined by the calculation agent in good faith and in a commercially reasonable manner on the pricing date, taking into account such exchange rates determined by reference to certain intra-day trades. Although the calculation agent will make all determinations and take all actions in relation to establishing the Starting Spot Rate of each Reference Currency 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 Starting Spot Rate of each Reference Currency that might affect the value of your notes. For information about the risks related to this discretion, see “Selected Risk Considerations — Potential Conflicts” on page TS-4 of this term sheet

Base Currency:

The European Union euro

Upside Leverage Factor:

At least 1.25*

*The actual Upside Leverage Factor will be determined on the pricing date and will not be less than 1.25.

Payment at Maturity:

If the Ending Basket Level is greater than the Starting Basket Level, at maturity you will receive a cash payment that provides you with a return per $1,000 principal amount note equal to the Basket Return multiplied by the Upside Leverage Factor. Accordingly, if the Basket Return is positive, your payment at maturity per $1,000 principal amount note will be calculated as follows:

$1,000 + ($1,000 x Basket Return x Upside Leverage Factor)

 

Your principal is protected against up to a 15% decline in the Basket at maturity. If the Ending Basket Level is less than the Starting Basket Level by up to 15%, you will receive the principal amount of your notes at maturity.

If the Ending Basket Level is less than the Starting Basket Level by more than 15%, you will lose 1% of the principal amount of your notes for every 1% that the Basket declines below 15% and your payment at maturity per $1,000 principal amount note will be calculated as follows:

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

If the Ending Basket Level is less than the Starting Basket Level by more than 15%, you could lose up to $850 per $1,000 principal amount note.

Basket Return:

Ending Basket Level – Starting Basket Level
              Starting Basket Level

Starting Basket Level:

Set equal to 100 on the pricing date

Ending Basket Level:

The Basket Closing Level on the Observation Date

Basket Closing Level:

The Basket Closing Level on the Observation Date will be calculated as follows:

100 x [1 + (AUD Return * 1/3) + (BRL Return * 1/3) + (CNY Return * 1/3)]

The AUD Return, BRL Return and CNY Return reflect the performance of the applicable Reference Currency relative to the European Union euro, calculated in terms of a fraction, the numerator of which is the Spot Rate of such Reference Currency on the Observation Date (the “Ending Spot Rate”) minus the Starting Spot Rate and the denominator of which is the Starting Spot Rate. The Spot Rate of each Reference Currency on a given date is expressed in terms of a number of Euros per one Reference Currency and is equal to one divided by a fraction, the numerator of which is a number of U.S. dollars per one European Union euro as reported by Reuters Group PLC (“Reuters”) on page ECB37 at 4:00 p.m., Greenwich Mean Time, on such date of determination and the denominator of which is a number of U.S. dollars per one unit of the applicable Reference Currency on (a) for the AUD, Reuters page WMRSPOT12 at approximately 4:00 p.m., Greenwich Mean Time, on such date of determination, (b) for the BRL, Reuters page BRFR (offer rate) at approximately 6:00 p.m., São Paulo time, on such date of determination and (c) for the CNY, Reuters page SAEC, at approximately 4:00 p.m., Beijing time, on such date of determination.

For additional information, see “Description of Notes — Payment at Maturity” in the accompanying product supplement no. 146-A-I.

Observation Date:

April     , 2013** (to be determined on the pricing date)

Maturity Date:

April     , 2013**(the third business day after the Observation Date)

CUSIP:

48124AMR5

**

Subject to postponement as described under “Description of Notes — Payment at Maturity” in the accompanying product supplement no. 146-A-I.

Investing in the Buffered Return Enhanced Notes involves a number of risks. See “Risk Factors” beginning on page PS-13 of the accompanying product supplement no. 146-A-I and “Selected Risk Considerations” beginning on page TS-2 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 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 $21.00 per $1,000 principal amount note and would use a portion of that commission to allow 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, some of which may be allowed to other dealers, for assuming the risks inherent in hedging our obligations under the notes. The actual commission received by JPMSI may be more or less than $21.00 and will depend on market conditions on the pricing date. In no event will the commission received by JPMSI, which includes concessions and other amounts to be allowed to other dealers, exceed $25.00 per $1,000 principal amount note. See “Plan of Distribution” beginning on page PS-35 of the accompanying product supplement no. 146-A-I.

The agent for this offering, JPMSI, is an affiliate of ours. See “Supplemental Plan of Distribution (Conflicts of Interest)” on the last page of this term sheet.

The notes are not bank deposits and are not insured or guaranteed by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation or any other governmental agency, nor are they obligations of, or guaranteed by, a bank.

April 16, 2010


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. 146-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.

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. 146-A-I dated November 24, 2008. 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. 146-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 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.

Additional Key Terms

Supplemental Terms of the Notes

For purposes of the notes offered by this term sheet:

(1) the definition of “market disruption event” set forth under “General Terms of the Notes — Market Disruption Events” in the accompanying product supplement 146-A-I is amended by adding a new clause (g) to the definition of “Market Disruption Events,” as follows:

“(g) (i) the unavailability of a cross rate for a Reference Currency and the Base Currency, each relative to the U.S. dollar that prevents the calculation agent from calculating the Spot Rate for a Reference Currency in the manner provided in the relevant terms supplement, or (ii) any event that generally makes it impossible to convert any currency used in the calculation of the Spot Rate for a Reference Currency into another currency (including, but not limited to, U.S. dollars), in each case, as determined by the calculation agent in its sole discretion”; and

(2) the definition of “Price Source Disruption Event” set forth under “General Terms of the Notes — Market Disruption Events” in the accompanying product supplement 146-A-I shall be deleted in its entirety and replaced with the following:

“‘Price Source Disruption Event’ means the non-publication or unavailability of the applicable spot rate (or cross rate) for the Reference Currency relative to the Base Currency (or in the case of a cross rate, the Reference Currency or the Base Currency, each relative to the U.S. dollar) on the applicable Reuters page at the applicable fixing time for such currency pair on the applicable date of determination.”

Selected Purchase Considerations


JPMorgan Structured Investments —
Buffered Return Enhanced Notes Linked to the Performance of an Equally Weighted Basket of Three Currencies Relative to the European Union Euro

 TS-1

Selected Risk Considerations

An investment in the notes involves significant risks. Investing in the notes is not equivalent to investing directly in the Reference Currencies or the European Union euro or any contracts related to the Reference Currencies or the European Union euro. These risks are explained in more detail in the “Risk Factors” section of the accompanying product supplement no. 146-A-I dated November 24, 2008.


JPMorgan Structured Investments —
Buffered Return Enhanced Notes Linked to the Performance of an Equally Weighted Basket of Three Currencies Relative to the European Union Euro

 TS-2

JPMorgan Structured Investments —
Buffered Return Enhanced Notes Linked to the Performance of an Equally Weighted Basket of Three Currencies Relative to the European Union Euro

 TS-3

JPMorgan Structured Investments —
Buffered Return Enhanced Notes Linked to the Performance of an Equally Weighted Basket of Three Currencies Relative to the European Union Euro

 TS-4

What Is the Payment at Maturity on the Notes, Assuming a Range of Performances for the Basket?

The table and examples below illustrate the hypothetical total return at maturity of 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 an Upside Leverage Factor of 1.25. 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. You should consider carefully whether the notes are suitable to your investment goals. The numbers appearing in the table and examples below have been rounded for ease of analysis.


Ending
Basket Level

Basket Return

Total Return


180.00

80.00%

100.00%

165.00

65.00%

81.250%

150.00

50.00%

62.500%

140.00

40.00%

50.000%

130.00

30.00%

37.500%

120.00

20.00%

25.000%

115.00

15.00%

18.750%

110.00

10.00%

12.500%

105.00

5.00%

6.250%

102.50

2.50%

3.125%

101.00

1.00%

1.250%

100.00

0.00%

0.000%

95.00

-5.00%

0.000%

90.00

-10.00%

0.000%

85.00

-15.00%

0.000%

80.00

-20.00%

-5.000%

70.00

-30.00%

-15.000%

60.00

-40.00%

-25.000%

50.00

-50.00%

-35.000%

40.00

-60.00%

-45.000%

30.00

-70.00%

-55.000%

20.00

-80.00%

-65.000%

10.00

-90.00%

-75.000%

0.00

-100.00%

-85.000%


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 level of the Basket increases from the Starting Basket Level of 100 to an Ending Basket Level of 105. Because the Ending Basket Level of 105 is greater than the Starting Basket Level of 100, the Basket Return is positive and the investor receives a payment at maturity of $1,062.50 per $1,000 principal amount note, calculated as follows:

$1,000 + ($1,000 x 5% x 1.25) = $1,062.50

Example 2: The level of the Basket decreases from the Starting Basket Level of 100 to an Ending Basket Level of 85. Although the Basket Return is negative, because the Ending Basket Level of 85 is less than the Starting Basket Level of 100 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 Basket decreases from the Starting Basket Level of 100 to an Ending Basket Level of 70. Because the Basket Return is negative and the Ending Basket Level of 70 is less than the Starting Basket Level of 100 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 4: The level of the Basket decreases from the Starting Basket Level of 100 to an Ending Basket Level of 0. Because the Basket Return is negative and the Ending Basket Level of 0 is less than the Starting Basket Level of 100 by more than the Buffer Amount of 15%, and 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 Structured Investments —
Buffered Return Enhanced Notes Linked to the Performance of an Equally Weighted Basket of Three Currencies Relative to the European Union Euro

 TS-5

Historical Information

The first three graphs below show the historical weekly performance of each Reference Currency expressed in terms of the conventional market quotation (in each case the amount of the applicable Reference Currency that can be exchanged for one European Union euro, which we refer to in this term sheet as the exchange rate), as shown on Bloomberg Financial Markets, from January 7, 2005 through April 9, 2010. The exchange rates of the Australian dollar, the Brazilian real and the Chinese renminbi, at approximately 11:00 a.m., New York City time, on April 15, 2010 were 1.4524, 2.3733 and 9.2653, respectively.

The exchange rates displayed in the graphs below are for illustrative purposes only and do not form part of the calculation of the Basket Return. The value of the Basket, and thus the Basket Return, increases when the individual Reference Currencies appreciate in value against the European Union euro. Therefore, the Basket Return is calculated using Spot Rates for each currency expressed as one divided by the amount of Reference Currency per one European Union euro, which is the inverse of the conventional market quotation for each Reference Currency set forth in the first three graphs on the following page.

The last graph on the following page shows the weekly performance of the Basket from January 7, 2005 through April 9, 2010, assuming that the Basket Closing Level on January 7, 2005 was 100, that each Reference Currency had the weighting specified on the front cover of this term sheet and that the inverse of the exchange rates of each Reference Currency on the relevant dates were the Spot Rates on such dates. The exchange rates and the historical weekly Basket performance data in such graph were determined using the rates reported by Bloomberg Financial Markets and may not be indicative of the Basket performance using the Spot Rates of the Reference Currencies that would be derived from the applicable Reuters pages.


JPMorgan Structured Investments —
Buffered Return Enhanced Notes Linked to the Performance of an Equally Weighted Basket of Three Currencies Relative to the European Union Euro

 TS-6

The Spot Rates of the Australian dollar, the Brazilian real and the Chinese renminbi on April 15, 2010 were 0.68953, 0.42233 and 0.10817, respectively, calculated in the manner set forth under “Key Terms — Basket Closing Level” on the cover of this term sheet.

We obtained the data needed to construct the graph which displays the weekly performance of the Basket from Bloomberg Financial Markets, and we obtained the exchange rates and the denominators used to calculate the Spot Rates from Reuters Group PLC. We make no representation or warranty as to the accuracy or completeness of the information obtained from Bloomberg Financial Markets or Reuters Group PLC. The historical performance of each Reference Currency and the Basket should not be taken as an indication of future performance, and no assurance can be given as to the Spot Rate of any of the Reference Currencies on the pricing date or the Observation Date. We cannot give you assurance that the performance of the Basket will result in the return of any of your initial investment in excess of $150 per $1,000 principal amount note, subject to the credit risk of JPMorgan Chase & Co.

Supplemental Plan of Distribution (Conflicts of Interest)

We own, directly or indirectly, all of the outstanding equity securities of JPMSI, the agent for this offering. The net proceeds received from the sale of the notes will be used, in part, by JPMSI or one of its affiliates in connection with hedging our obligation under the notes. In accordance with NASD Rule 2720, JPMSI may not make sales in this offering to any of its discretionary accounts without the prior written approval of the customer.


JPMorgan Structured Investments —
Buffered Return Enhanced Notes Linked to the Performance of an Equally Weighted Basket of Three Currencies Relative to the European Union Euro

 TS-7