Flatten

To flatten is to close every open position on an account so that the net exposure is zero, usually with market orders, and in most platforms to cancel the working orders at the same time so that nothing can reopen a position afterwards. A flat account has no position; it can still hold working orders unless they were cancelled.

Senzoukria · Glossary · Updated September 2026

Flat, long, short

A position is the net quantity held on an instrument: positive when long, negative when short, zero when flat. Flattening sends whatever order brings that net quantity to zero: a sell of the long quantity or a buy of the short quantity. Done with a market order, it exits at the prices available in the book, which on a thin or fast market may differ from the last print by more than one tick.

Why working orders go with it

Closing the position without cancelling the orders around it leaves a trap. A resting limit entry can fill a moment later and reopen exposure; a protective stop left behind a closed position becomes a naked entry in the opposite direction if price reaches it. A flatten that is meant to end the day therefore cancels working orders first, then closes the position. Some platforms name that combined action "flatten all".

  • Flatten one instrument: close its position and cancel its orders.
  • Flatten all: the same on every instrument of the account.
  • Flatten at session end: an automatic variant tied to a time window, common in automation.

When traders flatten

  • Before a scheduled release or the close of a session, to avoid holding through a gap.
  • When the reading that justified the trade is gone, regardless of profit or loss.
  • As the emergency exit when something on screen no longer matches the broker's state.
  • At the end of an automated session window, by the strategy's own rule.

In Senzoukria

The "Flatten" button appears in the "Quick ticket" on the chart and as "Flatten all" on the Trading page, with the tooltip "Cancel all working orders and close all open positions" and a confirmation step ("Confirm flatten"). It works from any screen while a broker connection is ready, and it never opens a position; when nothing is open the ticket reads "Flat". In the "Autopilot" panel, "Flatten when the session window closes" adds a time-based flatten, and "STOP — disarm and flatten" combines flatten with disarming. The Trading desk's "Position" stage reports "Flat" or the number of open positions as the broker reports them, not as the application assumes.

Common mistakes

  • Closing the position by hand and forgetting the stop that is still working.
  • Flattening a funded account with a market order in a halted or illiquid market and being surprised by the fill price.
  • Reading the platform's "Flat" before the broker has acknowledged the closing fill.
  • Using flatten as a strategy exit rule without accounting for its slippage in the backtest.

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Frequently asked questions

Does flatten cancel my stop and target orders?
A flatten-all action does: it cancels working orders and closes positions so nothing can reopen exposure. A plain position close on some platforms leaves the orders in place, which is dangerous because a leftover stop becomes an entry. Check which behaviour your platform implements before relying on it.
Is flatten always a market order?
Almost always, because the point is certainty of exit rather than price. That certainty costs slippage on fast or thin markets. A trader who wants a specific exit price places a limit order instead and accepts that it may not fill.
Can I flatten a simulated account?
Yes, the same button applies to the simulated account used for rehearsal, with no commission and without touching a funded account. On crypto feeds there is no order routing at all, so there is nothing to flatten.

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