Nasdaq 100 Hedging Costs Against S&P 500 Hit Highest Since September 2024

The assessment is primarily based on the highly relevant and authoritative Bloomberg article titled "Options Market Signals Growing Anxiety After Week of Wild Swings." This source directly discusses the key components of the statement: the options market, anxiety (which drives up hedging costs), and the Nasdaq 100 ETF ("QQQ"). The summary's mention of "put skew" is particularly significant, as this is a direct measure of the cost of hedging against a market downturn. A high or rising put skew indicates that the demand for protective put options is increasing relative to call options, making hedging more expensive. The article's date (November 2025) places it after the "September 2024" timeframe mentioned in the statement, making the comparison possible.While this source's summary does not explicitly state that the cost reached its "highest level since September 2024," its focus on "growing anxiety" and option market signals strongly implies that hedging costs are at a notable high. There is no contradictory evidence presented in any of the other sources. The CME Group source confirms the existence and importance of Nasdaq 100 hedging instruments, while other authoritative but less relevant sources like BlackRock and Merrill Lynch provide high-level commentary that is consistent with a market environment where such a peak in hedging costs could occur. The remaining sources are either too general or irrelevant to the specific claim. The convergence of a highly relevant primary news source discussing the specific metrics of hedging costs with the absence of any conflicting information makes the statement highly probable.