Sell to Close

Sell to close is an options trading order that is used to exit a trade in which the trader already owns the options contract and must sell the contract to close the position.

Traders "sell to close" call options contracts they own when they no longer want to hold a long bullish position on the underlying asset. They "sell to close" put options contracts they own when they no longer want to hold a long bearish position on the underlying asset.

Let's assume a trader is long an exchange-traded option using a buy to open order on a call option on Adobe Systems Inc. (ADBE). Imagine that, at the time, the stock was priced at $175.00. Let's also assume that the $170.00 strike call, with an expiration date 90 days away, was selling for $7.50 per share. This gives the option $5.00 of intrinsic value ($175.00 stock price – $170.00 strike price = $5.00 intrinsic value) and $2.50 of extrinsic value ($7.50 option premium – $5.00 intrinsic value = $2.50 extrinsic value).

As time goes by and the value of Adobe fluctuates up and down, the value of the call option is going to fluctuate as well. The higher the value of the call option goes, the more profitable it will become. Conversely, the lower the value of the call option goes, the less profitable it will become. However, those profits, or losses, will only be realized once the trader exits the position using a sell to close order. (See also, Options Basics: What Are Options?)

There are three possible outcomes when a trader sells to close a long option.

If the price of the underlying asset increases more than enough to offset the time decay the option will experience (the closer it gets to expiration) then the value of the call option will also increase. In this case, a trader can sell to close the long call option for a profit. 

Let's assume in this scenario that Adobe rises from $175.00 to $180.00 by expiration, increasing the value of the call option from $7.50 to $10.00. This option is now comprised of $10.00 of intrinsic value ($180.00 stock price – $170.00 strike price = $10.00 intrinsic value) and $0.00 of extrinsic value (options have no extrinsic value at expiration). The trader can now sell to close the long call option position for a profit of $2.50 ($10.00 current value – $7.50 purchase price = $2.50 profit).

If the price of the underlying asset increases only enough to offset the time decay the option will experience then the value of the call option will remain unchanged. In this case, a trader can sell to close the long call option at breakeven. 

Let's assume in this scenario that Adobe rises from $175.00 to $177.50 by expiration, keeping the value of the call option at $7.50. This value is comprised of $7.50 of intrinsic value ($177.50 stock price – $170.00 strike price = $7.50 intrinsic value) and $0.00 of extrinsic value. The trader can now sell to close the long call option position at breakeven ($7.50 current value – $7.50 purchase price = $0.00 profit).

If the price of the underlying asset does not increase enough to offset the time decay the option will experience, then the value of the call option will decline. In this case, a trader can sell to close the long call option at a loss. 

Let's assume in this scenario that Adobe only rises from $175.00 to $176.00 by expiration, dropping the value of the call option to $6.00. This value is comprised of $6.00 of intrinsic value ($176.00 stock price – $170.00 strike price = $6.00 intrinsic value) and $0.00 of extrinsic value. The trader can now only sell to close the long call option position at a loss of $1.50 ($6.00 current value – $7.50 purchase price = $1.50 loss).