The U.S. market has experienced a significant shift in recent years, with a handful of tech giants commanding a larger share of the S&P 500 index. This has led traders to seek ways to hedge their short index positions and protect their portfolios. In this article, we will delve deeper into the growing dominance of Apple Inc. and Microsoft Corp. in the S&P 500 and explore how these secular stocks can help balance the risks associated with short positioning in index trading.