Early Exercise


Early Exercise (assignment)

The exercise or assignment of an option contract before its expiration date.

Early Exercise

A situation in which an option contract is exercised before its expiration date. American-style options allow early exercise, while European-style options do not.

early exercise

The exercise of an option before it expires. Although somewhat unusual, an option holder may decide on early exercise in order to receive an upcoming dividend (in the case of a stock option) or in order to satisfy another commitment.