A broad selloff in software stocks is starting to stall deal-making and IPOs in the sector as volatility makes valuations unreliable and potential buyers cautious, about a dozen financial advisers and dealmakers told Reuters. Bankers and investors interviewed link the slowdown in mergers and acquisitions and initial public offerings to a few related reasons. With software shares dropping sharply, the valuation benchmarks from peer companies, ​such as revenue multiples, are moving too quickly for either side to anchor a price, and buyers fear overpaying for assets that could be marked down again.