Risk Management
How fund manager allocate capital for option selling
Aman Singh • Jan 15, 2026

Fund-Manager–Style Capital Allocation & Risk Plan
1. Investment Objective & Constraints
Capital & Return Target
- Total Capital: ₹1,00,000
- Return Target: 30–40% CAGR
- Monthly Average: ~2.5–3.5%
Primary Strategy
- Equity investment used for margin pledging
- Non-directional index option selling
Key Constraints (Non-Negotiable)
- Capital preservation is priority #1
- No naked selling beyond defined margin limits
- Weekly consistency > monthly hero trades
2. Capital Allocation Framework
Capital Split
- Core Equity (Pledgeable): ₹60,000
- Purpose: Margin creation + long-term appreciation
- Free Cash (Risk Buffer): ₹20,000
- Purpose: MTM safety & drawdown control
- Active Options Capital: ₹20,000
- Purpose: Weekly option selling margin
Why This Split Works
- Equity pledging provides ~70–80% margin benefit
- Free cash prevents forced exits during volatility
- Options bucket structurally caps risk
3. Equity Selection & Pledging Strategy
Equity Selection Criteria (Very Important)
- Large-cap stocks with high liquidity
- Low beta, stable underlying businesses
- Eligible for pledging with lower haircut
Ideal Equity Categories
- Banking leaders
- Energy majors
- FMCG and IT large caps
Expected Outcome
- ₹60,000 equity → ~₹45,000–₹50,000 usable margin
- Equity CAGR expectation: 10–12% annually
Important:
Equity is not for trading. It acts as a margin engine and a long-term wealth anchor.
4. Option Selling Strategy (Core Alpha Engine)
Instruments
- NIFTY index only
- Avoid BankNifty at this capital size
- Weekly expiry preferred
The goal is not to predict direction, but to harvest time decay with controlled, repeatable risk.
5. Risk Management Rules (Non-Negotiable)
Position Sizing
- Maximum risk per expiry: 2% of total capital (₹2,000)
- Never deploy more than 70% of available margin
Stop Rules
- If loss reaches 1.5× expected profit → exit
- If VIX spikes above 20 → reduce positions by 50%
Monthly Drawdown Rule
- −5% in a month → STOP trading for 7 days
- Review performance only, no revenge trades
6. Monthly Performance Expectation (Realistic)
- Option Selling: 2.0–2.5%
- Equity Appreciation: 0.7–1.0%
Total Monthly: 2.7–3.5%
Annualized with compounding: ~32–42%
7. Compounding & Scaling Plan
When capital grows to ₹1.3–1.5 lakh:
- Add second-lot spreads
- Increase weekly exposure marginally
- Risk percentage remains unchanged
Scaling is achieved through capital growth, not risk escalation.
8. What This Plan Avoids (On Purpose)
- Naked option selling
- Intraday option buying
- Overtrading for fast returns
- Capital concentration in a single expiry
9. Performance Tracking (Mandatory)
Track weekly:
- Capital deployed
- MTM volatility
- Win rate by strategy
- Drawdown percentage
This is how professional fund managers survive and compound long term.
Bottom Line (Fund Manager’s View)
This is not a get-rich-quick plan.
It is a capital-efficient, repeatable income engine designed for longevity.
If executed with discipline:
- 30–40% yearly returns are achievable
- Drawdowns remain controlled
- Capital survives black swan weeks
Discipline, not prediction, is the real edge.