What's Going On With Bank Of America (BAC) Shares?

Bank of America Corp BAC shares are trading lower by 2.2% to $36.60 during Monday’s session amid overall market weakness. The company last week reported first-quarter fiscal 2025 results, with results that topped Wall Street expectations.The bank posted net income of $7.4 billion, up from $6.7 billion a year earlier, with earnings per share of 90 cents, beating the consensus estimate of 81 cents. Revenue rose 6% to $27.37 billion, driven by growth in both noninterest and net interest income.Bank of America's Consumer and Global Banking divisions posted slight profit declines, while Global Markets and Wealth Management showed gains. Credit loss provisions rose 12% to $1.48 billion. The CET1 capital ratio slipped to 11.8%, though book value per share rose 8% to $36.39.CEO Brian Moynihan emphasized consumer resilience and reaffirmed the bank's long-term strategy, but analysts noted rising macro risks and revised down forecasts, potentially contributing to the stock's decline despite the otherwise strong quarter.Read Also: Tesla Q1 Test Drive: Will Earnings Steer The Stock Out Of The Ditch?What Else: However, investor sentiment has been soured after Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell last week warned of heightened inflation risks and weakening growth tied to new U.S. trade tariffs. Powell's remarks Wednesday pointed to “notable deterioration” in consumer and business sentiment, adding uncertainty to the macro outlook.The dollar sank Monday amid fears President Donald Trump could move to oust Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell before his term expires in May 2026.Read Also: Dollar Hits 3-Year Lows, US Stocks Tumble As Trump Threatens To Fire Powell: ‘Contrarians Of The World, Unite!’Investors can gain exposure to BAC by investing in the Financial Select Sector SPDR Fund XLF.How To Buy BAC StockBy now you're likely curious about how to participate in the market for Bank of America – 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 Bank of America, which is trading at $36.64 as of publishing time, $100 would buy you 2.73 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.According to data from Benzinga Pro, BAC has a 52-week high of $48.08 and a 52-week low of $36.60.