Now if you are writing options, it's a slightly different story. Say you sold the $805 put and you didn't close it out before the end of trading, come Saturday morning you own the stock at $805. If it drops to $600 at Monday's bell... you're sol.
Automatic exercise of an option is based on the 4pm et closing price of the stock on its primary exchange. This is typically done with a closing auction. Again, the price used for automatic exercise is not relevant to this strategy, as you can override this automatic exercise or exercise an out of the money option as long as you give notice before 530pm et.
Lol, you are 100% wrong here. On expiration Friday you have until 530pm (as mentioned many brokers will have a slightly earlier cutoff time to meet this OCC deadline) to exercise an out of the money option or cancel the exercise of an in the money option. This is why you will see slightly out of the money options on expiration day trade with a premium at the close. I literally have been doing this trade for 35 years. This is really basic stuff.
Yes, but the price for the contract settlement is based on the underlying's closing price at 4pm et on Friday. I am 99% sure an otm option dies at 4PM on Friday. Now if SMCI dropped to $700 right before the bell, your option expired itm. Say the stock continues down to $600 after the bell... assuming you have made the right phone calls, and you have the buying power of course, you can buy the stock at $600 and exercise the option before 5:30. The writer has to buy the stock from you at $800. But that is for itm at close only. If the option is otm at the bell, it's dead. Only itm options live on until Saturday at 11:59 AM.
Looks like the IBKR cutoff time is 525pm et. Delivery, Exercise and Corporate Actions | Interactive Brokers LLC
Ok, I mean I could certainly be wrong on this. But assuming what you say is correct, if I have a $50 put on stock xyz, and xyz closes at $52, but after the bell on Friday it drops to $40 on some unexpected news... I now own a profitable contract if I jump thru the hoops by 5:30 or whatever time the broker says?
I'm not sure what else I can say. You have been posting here as long as I have and I like reading your comments. Not trying to fight with you, but you are wrong here. This is a trade I have done many many times. I posted the idea as I thought others might be interested. You have a right to exercise your out of the money options (or cancel an automatic in the money exercise) on expiration Friday until 530pm et (or slightly earlier based on your broker). Thats why this play works. Automatic exercise is based on the 4pm closing price. Also to add, options no longer technically expire on Saturday, they now expire at 1159pm on Friday night. This change was made 2015.