Sitting on 60% profit in direct US tech stocks like Nvidia. How do I protect this without selling?

Published 4 October 2026

Bharani from Gurugram avatar Bharani from Gurugram
I started buying direct US stocks a few years ago to diversify my portfolio.

My Nvidia position is up over 60% and now makes up a huge 15% chunk of my total equity portfolio.

I don't want to sell and trigger massive taxes but I am terrified of a sudden tech crash wiping out my gains.

How do I protect my downside while letting my winners run for the next 3-5yr? Can you explain put options to protect my downside?
Mohan Gupta Mohan Gupta Co-founder Foliyo AI, NISM Series X-A, X-B, XXI-A Certified LinkedIn
It is incredibly common to feel anxious when a single high-growth stock suddenly balloons to become a massive part of your net worth. While the AI race is only going to heat up and foundational companies have massive tailwinds you absolutely must protect your downside. When building large positions in high-beta tech stocks risk management is simply non-negotiable.

You do not have to just blindly hold and hope for the best. Instead of selling your shares and taking a massive tax hit you can rigorously use options to hedge your exposure. The standard strategy is to buy put options that are about 10% out-of-the-money.

For example if Nvidia is trading at 180$ you might buy puts with a strike price of 160$ or 165$. This acts exactly like buying an insurance policy for your portfolio. You pay a small premium for the put option but it completely protects your capital if the stock breaks down below key technical levels.

This allows you to accumulate high-quality foundational companies on the dips and let the positions grow over time. As your allocation becomes larger you just keep rolling your put options to ensure your downside is always capped.

Disclaimer: All information shared above are strictly for educational and informational purposes only. It should not be construed as financial or investment advice.
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