Plural of hedger; people or things that hedge, such as financial traders who reduce risk or workers who trim hedges.
From Old English *hecge* (fence), plus *-er* (one who does), becoming *hedger* in Middle English. The term historically meant a person who made or maintained hedges for fencing.
In modern finance, 'hedgers' are basically professional risk-takers who lose money on purpose in one place to protect themselves in another—it's like betting against yourself to guarantee you won't lose everything.
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