Options traders pile into tech hedges after software rout

The unrelenting selloff in software shares has left tech investors antsy enough that they’re starting to pony up for protection against yet another steep slide.

There’s good reason for the concern. Software stocks plunged again Wednesday, with the Goldman Sachs software basket clocking its seventh straight drop to bring its loss for the year to 19%. The rout bled into broader measures of the tech sector, dragging the Nasdaq 100 down 1.4% so far in 2026.

That uncertainty sent...