Ok .... I will try and answer your questions. He can sell-to-close right up to 4:00pm EST, but the broker might close earlier if there isn't enough margin. I think SPY options trade to 4:15pm EST, but I can't with my broker. Each contract is 100 shares. There would be no problem selling ITM SPY options.
Since you asked for a bit of help(as opposed to simply looking up trading hours) I believe SPY options trade till 4:15. If for some reason you do not sell your long put to close and the Spy should close below your strike price,you will be auto exercised.To offest the exercised short position,simply buy the SPY after hours to get flat... If you want to sell towards the close and the ITM put is trading at intrinsic,better off buying Spy and getting long the synthetic call for free.. Think about what you are asking...O DTE,1 hour left to expiration... Would you buy an SPY ATM put for .01??? .05?? .50??? Would you sell it for .05?? 1 dollar?? 2 dollar?? Whats the hourly ATR on the Spy? The rest should be easy..
\ Thank you. The example from the other poster indicated 10 options contracts, that is where the 1000 shares came from. So no problem selling ITM SPY options all the way to close, but since they are 0 DTE and expire at the close, who would buy them because, at that point, they are worthless, aren't they?
Okay, now you've given me head work to do! Let me digest this. Thank you, as well. Some of what you said would require an account with a pretty hefty balance, especially if you are trading multiple options contracts. The reason for my question was because, if I tried this, I wouldn't want to be auto-exercised, ever. I wouldn't want a position in SPY due to the amount of money required. So as long as I was ITM and as @OptionsOptionsOptions indicated, I would have no problem closing my position, right up until close, I feel like that would be safest and least expensive. Personally, I wouldn't buy anything near EOD that expired at EOD. That is why I am confused as to who would buy my worthless options contract so I could close my position.
The queation is at what price will they buy them. It appears you are confused with the concept of Intrinsic and buying shares against it..A deep ITM option has intrinsic value.It doesn't vaporize at 4:00.. A better question would be who buys an option that is ATM/slightly OTM seconds before the close
Oh, wait a minute... They have value because they are ITM... so maybe a trader who wants to be long/short SPY at that strike, would buy them in order to get exercised and be long/short SPY at that strike? Maybe? I would think ATM/OTM would be of no interest to anyone, which means I would lose premium paid, unless I found a way to stop myself out of them earlier in the session.