JP Morgan & HSBC Sued For Silver Market Manipulation On COMEX Conspiracy

JPMorgan, HSBC Sued For Alleged Silver Conspiracy.

JPMorgan Chase & Co (JPM.N) and HSBC Holdings Plc (HSBA.L) were hit with two lawsuits on Wednesday by investors who accused them of conspiring to drive down silver prices, and reaping an estimated hundreds of millions of dollars of illegal profits.

The banks, among the world's largest, were accused of manipulating the market for COMEX silver futures and options contracts from the first half of 2008 by amassing huge short positions in silver futures contracts that are designed to profit when prices fall.

JP Morgan & HSBC Sued For Silver Manipulation COMEX Conspiracy

The silver market, no stranger to controversy, has long been the focus of manipulation theorists. At a CFTC hearing Tuesday to consider new rules to strengthen its commodity-enforcement powers, commissioner Bart Chilton said market players have made "repeated" and "fraudulent efforts to persuade and deviously control" silver prices.

J.P. Morgan and HSBC traditionally have been big players in the silver market. A CFTC weekly report for Oct. 19, the most recent period, shows that less than four market players hold 24.3% of all net bearish bets in the silver market. J.P. Morgan and HSBC are among those market participants, The Wall Street Journal reported, citing silver traders and a person close to the investigation.