How to buy or invest in NatWest shares
If you think the NatWest share price is going to rise, you can either buy or invest in the company’s shares.
Buying NatWest shares involves trading on the share price with derivatives like spread bets and contracts for difference (CFDs). This doesn’t mean that you’ll own the underlying asset – you’re merely predicting what you think the NatWest share price will do in the future. If you think it will go up, you’ll buy shares. This is called ‘going long’.
When you invest in NatWest shares, you’re purchasing the actual shares and become a shareholder in the company. With investing, you can only make a profit if the share price increases. If it decreases, you’ll cut a loss.
A major advantage of trading derivatives is that you can open a position with just a portion of the total value of the trade. This is known as leverage.
How much would it cost to invest in NatWest?
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| UK best commission | UK standard commission | |
| AAA | £3 | £8 |
| Hargreaves Lansdown | £5.95 | £11.95 |
| AJ Bell | £4.95 | £9.95 |
Want our best commission? Just make three or more trades in a month to get it.
If you don’t want to invest in NatWest shares directly, you can always trade its share price with spread bets and CFDs instead. This will allow you to:
- Get full exposure with a small deposit – usually just 20-25% of the full value of the trade
- Spread bet without paying tax on your profits
- Hedge your positions with CFDs and offset losses against potential profits
How to sell or short NatWest shares
If you think the NatWest share price is going to fall, you can short-sell the company’s shares with spread bets and CFDs. This is known as ‘going short’. If you speculate correctly, you’ll make a profit.
If you’ve already invested in NatWest shares, there may come a time when you want to sell them. If the share price is higher than what you paid for them, you’ll make a profit. If it’s lower, you’ll incur a loss.
You can transfer your existing electronic shares to us for free, enabling you to sell them via our easy-to-use share dealing platform.
NatWest shares: the basics
National Westminster Bank, commonly known as NatWest, was formed in 1968 through the merger of National Provincial Bank and Westminster Bank. In 2000, the bank joined The Royal Bank of Scotland Group – now called the NatWest Group following a July 2020 rebrand.
The NatWest Group is headquartered in Edinburgh with offices around the world – UK, Ireland, Europe, Asia Pacific and the United States. It has a primary listing on the London Stock Exchange (LSE) and a secondary listing on the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE). You’ll find it listed under the ‘NWG’ ticker.
NatWest Group has multiple subsidiary brands: NatWest, RBS, Ulster Bank, Coutts, Adam & Company, Child & Co., Drummonds, Holt’s Military Banking, Isle of Man Bank, Lombard, RBS International, NatWest Markets and FreeAgent.
The company’s share price dropped sharply in 2020, given the challenging economic environment caused by the coronavirus pandemic. The graph below shows the steep share price decline.