3 US Stocks Retail Investors Are Using For Protective Put Strategies
Published . Updated .
Markets feel on edge right now. Big tech earnings disappointments, rising volatility and headline risk from US politics and the Iran war have reminded investors that gains can reverse fast. That mix is exactly why hedged equity and protective put approaches are getting fresh
Directly affected
- No company is named in this report.
Indirectly affected
- XRT SPDR S&P Retail ETF
SPDR S&P Retail ETF: it holds retailers. Linked by “retail” (retail and consumer goods) in this story.
- XLY Consumer Discretionary Select Sector SPDR+2.3% 30d
Consumer Discretionary Select Sector SPDR: it holds retailers. Linked by “retail” (retail and consumer goods) in this story.
- QQQ Invesco QQQ-2.6% 30d
Invesco QQQ: it holds the big tech and AI names. Linked by “big tech” (AI and big tech) in this story.
- ITA iShares U.S. Aerospace & Defense ETF-3.0% 30d
iShares U.S. Aerospace & Defense ETF: it holds defense and aerospace contractors. Linked by “war” (defense) in this story.
- MSFT Microsoft+4.0% 30d
Microsoft (prepackaged software): big tech's AI spending and demand drive its shares. Linked by “big tech” (AI and big tech) in this story.
- GOOGL Alphabet-21.2% 30d
Alphabet (computer programming, data processing, etc.): big tech's AI spending and demand drive its shares. Linked by “big tech” (AI and big tech) in this story.
- WMT Walmart+14.9% 30d
Walmart (variety stores): retailers move with shopper spending and import costs. Linked by “retail” (retail and consumer goods) in this story.
- AMZN Amazon.com-7.0% 30d
Amazon.com (catalog and mail-order houses): retailers move with shopper spending and import costs. Linked by “retail” (retail and consumer goods) in this story.
Price reaction, T-5 to T+3
| Ticker | T-5 | T-3 | T-1 | T0 | T+1 | T+2 | T+3 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| XRTNo price data for this ticker | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| XLYNo price data for this ticker | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| QQQ | +3.12% | +5.08% | base | after close | after close | after close | after close |
| ITANo price data for this ticker | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| MSFTNo price data for this ticker | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| GOOGLNo price data for this ticker | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| WMTNo price data for this ticker | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| AMZNNo price data for this ticker | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Closing-price change versus T-1, the last close before the story. T0 to T+3 fill in after each market close. Prices: Alpaca IEX.
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3 US Stocks Retail Investors Are Using For Protective Put Strategies Yahoo Finance
Source: Yahoo Finance
Price since this story was published: Spdr Series Trust (XRT)
| Company | When | Move | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| QQQ | three days earlier | +5.08% | final price |
| QQQ | five days earlier | +3.12% | final price |
Congressional trades in the stocks in this story
- Rep. Pete Sessions sold Microsoft (MSFT) (held by a spouse), worth $250,001 - $500,000 on 2 Oct 2026. That is 30 days before publication. Filed 27 Oct 2026. View the filing.
- Rep. Lisa McClain bought Microsoft (MSFT) (held by a spouse), worth $1,001 - $15,000 on 30 Sep 2026. That is 32 days before publication. Filed 12 Oct 2026. View the filing.
- Rep. Michael Rulli sold Microsoft (MSFT), worth $1,001 - $15,000 on 28 Sep 2026. That is 34 days before publication. Filed 2 Oct 2026. View the filing.
- Rep. Pete Sessions sold Alphabet (GOOGL), worth $15,001 - $50,000 on 14 Sep 2026. That is 48 days before publication. Filed 18 Sep 2026. View the filing.
- Rep. Rohit Khanna sold Alphabet (GOOGL) (held by a spouse), worth $1,001 - $15,000 on 4 Sep 2026. That is 58 days before publication. Filed 7 Oct 2026. View the filing.
- Rep. Thomas H. Kean Jr sold Alphabet (GOOGL), worth $1,001 - $15,000 on 27 Aug 2026. That is 66 days before publication. Filed 12 Sep 2026. View the filing.
- Rep. Pete Sessions sold Walmart (WMT) (held by a spouse), worth $50,001 - $100,000 on 2 Oct 2026. That is 30 days before publication. Filed 27 Oct 2026. View the filing.
- Rep. Jonathan Jackson sold Walmart (WMT) (jointly held), worth $50,001 - $100,000 on 28 Sep 2026. That is 34 days before publication. Filed 19 Oct 2026. View the filing.
- Rep. Rohit Khanna bought Walmart (WMT) (held by a spouse), worth $1,001 - $15,000 on 25 Sep 2026. That is 37 days before publication. Filed 7 Oct 2026. View the filing.
- Rep. Pete Sessions sold Amazon Com (AMZN), worth $15,001 - $50,000 on 27 Oct 2026. That is 5 days before publication. Filed 27 Oct 2026. View the filing.
- Rep. Pete Sessions sold Amazon Com (AMZN) (held by a spouse), worth $100,001 - $250,000 on 2 Oct 2026. That is 30 days before publication. Filed 27 Oct 2026. View the filing.
- Rep. Michael T. McCaul sold Amazon Com (AMZN) (held by a spouse), worth $1,001 - $15,000 on 28 Aug 2026. That is 65 days before publication. Filed 14 Oct 2026. View the filing.
Public disclosure filings, not a recommendation. The filing link is the source document. News use of these reports still sits under 5 U.S.C. § 13107(c).
Who gains and who loses around Spdr Series Trust (XRT)
Companies mentioned with this story
- XRT Spdr Series Trust
For “3 US Stocks Retail Investors Are Using For Protective Put Strategies,” Spdr Series Trust (XRT) is linked, with no stored direction, medium confidence. Reason on file: SPDR S&P Retail ETF: it holds retailers. Linked by “retail” (retail and consumer goods) in this story
- XLY Select Sector Spdr Tr
In “3 US Stocks Retail Investors Are Using For Protective Put Strategies,” Select Sector Spdr Tr (XLY) is linked, with no stored direction, medium confidence. Reason on file: Consumer Discretionary Select Sector SPDR: it holds retailers. Linked by “retail” (retail and consumer goods) in this story
- WMT Walmart
For “3 US Stocks Retail Investors Are Using For Protective Put Strategies,” Walmart (WMT) is linked, with no stored direction, medium confidence. Reason on file: Walmart (variety stores): retailers move with shopper spending and import costs. Linked by “retail” (retail and consumer goods) in this story
- AMZN Amazon Com
In “3 US Stocks Retail Investors Are Using For Protective Put Strategies,” Amazon Com (AMZN) is linked, with no stored direction, medium confidence. Reason on file: Amazon.com (catalog and mail-order houses): retailers move with shopper spending and import costs. Linked by “retail” (retail and consumer goods) in this story
- COST Costco Wholesale
Costco Wholesale (COST) is linked, with no stored direction, medium confidence in the 1 Nov 2026 story “3 US Stocks Retail Investors Are Using For Protective Put Strategies.” Reason on file: Costco Wholesale (variety stores): retailers move with shopper spending and import costs. Linked by “retail” (retail and consumer goods) in this story
- TGT Target
Target (TGT) is linked, with no stored direction, medium confidence in the 1 Nov 2026 story “3 US Stocks Retail Investors Are Using For Protective Put Strategies.” Reason on file: Target (variety stores): retailers move with shopper spending and import costs. Linked by “retail” (retail and consumer goods) in this story
Spdr Series Trust (XRT)
The 1 Nov 2026 story “3 US Stocks Retail Investors Are Using For Protective Put Strategies” names Spdr Series Trust (XRT) because of this story.
For Spdr Series Trust (XRT), the reason on file says SPDR S&P Retail ETF: it holds retailers. Linked by “retail” (retail and consumer goods) in this story
A second company, Select Sector Spdr Tr (XLY), is listed for a different reason: Consumer Discretionary Select Sector SPDR: it holds retailers. Linked by “retail” (retail and consumer goods) in this story
Price levels for Spdr Series Trust (XRT)
WMT traded between 103.39 and 124.28 across 20 sessions. The latest close on file is 123.51. XLY traded between 110.58 and 116.77 across 19 sessions. The latest close on file is 115.38.
A simple score for Spdr Series Trust (XRT)
46 out of 100
“3 US Stocks Retail Investors Are Using For Protective Put Strategies” scores 46 out of 100. The score uses 1 sources, and 6 linked companies.