Roll forward refers to extending the expiration or maturity of an option, futures contract, or forward by closing the initial contract and opening a new longer-term contract for the same underlying asset at the then-current market price. A roll forward enables the trader to maintain the position beyond the initial expiration of the contract, since options and futures contracts have finite expiration dates. It is usually carried out shortly before the expiration of the initial contract and requires that the gain or loss on the original contract be settled.