What's Going On With Wells Fargo (WFC) Stock?

Shares of Wells Fargo & Co (NYSE:WFC) fell 7% to $61.04 Friday afternoon as President Donald Trump’s sweeping reciprocal tariffs sparked a sell-off in financial markets and stoked growing concerns about a potential global economic slowdown.

As one of the largest U.S. banks, Wells Fargo is significantly exposed to the risks associated with rising trade tensions. Tariffs pose a threat to economic growth, business confidence and consumer activity—all of which are essential to the bank's profitability.

What's Behind the Slide?

Wells Fargo generates a substantial portion of its income from traditional lending, including consumer and commercial loans. A slowdown in economic activity due to tariffs could weigh heavily on loan demand and interest income, particularly if inflation rises while growth stalls.

At the same time, businesses facing uncertainty may scale back expansion plans, leading to weaker demand for commercial credit—a core segment of Wells Fargo's operations.

In addition, the bank's wealth and investment management division, which benefits from stable markets and investor confidence, could come under pressure if volatility continues to rattle sentiment. A sustained market pullback might also affect asset management fees and reduce customer activity.

Read Also: Powell Says It’s ‘Too Soon To Say’ On Rates As Tariffs ‘Likely To Raise Inflation’

Investors can gain exposure to WFC by investing in the Financial Select Sector SPDR Fund (NASDAQ:XLF).

How To Buy WFC Stock

By now you're likely curious about how to participate in the market for Wells Fargo – be it to purchase shares, or even attempt to bet against the company.

Buying shares is typically done through a brokerage account. You can find a list of possible trading platforms here. Many will allow you to buy “fractional shares,” which allows you to own portions of stock without buying an entire share.

In the case of Wells Fargo, which is trading at $60.65 as of publishing time, $100 would buy you 1.65 shares of stock.

If you're looking to bet against a company, the process is more complex. You'll need access to an options trading platform, or a broker who will allow you to “go short” a share of stock by lending you the shares to sell. The process of shorting a stock can be found at this resource. Otherwise, if your broker allows you to trade options, you can either buy a put option, or sell a call option at a strike price above where shares are currently trading – either way it allows you to profit off of the share price decline.