The following video is part of our "Motley Fool Conversations" series in which consumer goods editor/analyst Austin Smith discusses topics across the investing world.

In today's edition, Austin helps investors distill what they should be watching if they're interested in investing in JPMorgan Chase today. Due to its massive size, most of the trends to keep an eye on are macroeconomic and largely out of its control. One problem it faces is a sort of "guilt by association" that it acquired during the financial crisis. Despite being a remarkably well-run bank, it could still fall victim to restrictive regulation aimed at other more risky institutions. In his fiery letter to shareholders JPMorgan CEO Jamie Dimon made his position on such regulations clear, hint: He doesn't like them.

JPMorgan recently reported strong numbers for the quarter, and it looks like it's on track for more long-term share appreciation. But many investors may feel like they missed it since the company has already run up so much. You can get a leg up on the 5 Stocks Investors Need to Watch This Earnings Season in our special free report, though, and be ahead of the curve when each of the five companies reports. You can click here to access your report -- it's totally free.