In the following video, Max Malcaluso interviews Fool banking analyst David Hanson regarding the "London Whale" incident at JPMorgan Chase (JPM 0.15%).
David explains that the job of the London Whale, a former JPMorgan trader based in (JPM 0.15%)London, was to safely invest excess capital and mitigate risk using strategies including asset hedging, if appropriate. He placed directional bets made to appear similar to a hedge, and the market started to move against him.
David discusses how senior management handled the situation when they were alerted to the magnitude of the trading loss, and he shares his view about the size of the trading loss as it relates to both JPMorgan's overall financial performance, and for investor confidence moving forward.
