Highest Borrow-Fee Stocks Today: July 30, 2026 — Hard-to-Borrow Rates
ZCMD carries the highest annualized borrow fee at 839.3% as of July 30, 2026, with 16 names on the market-wide list falling into the hard-to-borrow or extreme tier.
TL;DR: As of 10:50 PM ET on July 30, 2026, ZCMD carries the highest IBKR borrow fee in Tapeboard's market-wide ranking at 839.3% annualized. KUST ranks second with an annualized fee of 330.7% as of July 30, 2026, and JZ ranks third at 186.9% as of July 30, 2026.
The costliest name to borrow on a market-wide basis is ZCMD at 839.3% annualized as of July 30, 2026. Fees on today's list span 3.1% to 839.3% annualized; the median is 12.5%. Ultra-high rates in the triple-digit range typically flag distressed or nearly un-locatable names rather than conventional short squeeze setups. A high borrow fee is a cost-to-short signal reflecting scarcity in the lending pool, but it does not automatically imply a bullish squeeze setup, as many of the highest-fee names are distressed due to weak fundamentals.
Today's Hard-to-Borrow Rate Table
| Rank | Symbol | Annualized Borrow Fee | Rebate Rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | ZCMD | 839.3% | −835.7% |
| 2 | KUST | 330.7% | −327.0% |
| 3 | JZ | 186.9% | −183.3% |
| 4 | LCID | 98.4% | −94.7% |
| 5 | INM | 52.2% | −48.6% |
| 6 | BIAF | 40.2% | −36.6% |
| 7 | WKHS | 26.7% | −23.1% |
| 8 | KITT | 22.9% | −19.2% |
| 9 | ONDS | 17.0% | −13.3% |
| 10 | NRDY | 16.4% | −12.8% |
| 11 | RCEL | 14.2% | −10.6% |
| 12 | GRRR | 13.2% | −9.6% |
| 13 | LGVN | 12.5% | −8.9% |
| 14 | BIRD | 10.8% | −7.1% |
| 15 | AISP | 10.6% | −6.9% |
| 16 | OPAD | 10.4% | −6.7% |
| 17 | BYND | 9.7% | −6.1% |
| 18 | CRMT | 9.4% | −5.8% |
| 19 | ACB | 7.5% | −3.9% |
| 20 | ALPP | 6.9% | −3.3% |
| 21 | RUM | 6.6% | −3.0% |
| 22 | CHPT | 5.7% | −2.0% |
| 23 | SOS | 5.1% | −1.5% |
| 24 | ABCL | 5.0% | −1.4% |
| 25 | OCGN | 3.1% | 0.6% |
*Source: IBKR Securities Lending rates as compiled by Tapeboard, July 30, 2026 10:50 PM ET. Market-wide ranking across all IBKR-tracked securities. Not investment advice.*
Borrow-Fee Tiers
Tapeboard categorizes annualized borrow fees as normal (under 2%), elevated (2-10%), hard-to-borrow (10-50%), and extreme (above 50%). On July 30, 2026, 16 names on today's market-wide list fell in the hard-to-borrow or extreme tier.
What a High Borrow Fee Signals
An annualized borrow fee is the stock-loan cost a short seller pays to borrow shares. A high fee reflects scarcity in the lendable pool, but it does NOT by itself predict a squeeze. Names with triple-digit fees are often distressed, very-low-float, post-reverse-split, or recently IPO'd stocks where shares are almost impossible to locate. High cost-to-short is not the same as squeeze potential; short interest, price momentum, and volume must also be considered. Borrow fee is weighted 25% in Tapeboard's composite squeeze score. For full details, see the methodology.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which stocks have the highest borrow fees today?
As of July 30, 2026, the three stocks with the highest borrow fees are ZCMD at 839.3% annualized, KUST at 330.7% annualized, and JZ at 186.9% annualized. These represent the absolute costliest names to short in today's market-wide ranking.
What is considered a high stock borrow fee?
Tapeboard categorizes annualized borrow fees as normal (under 2%), elevated (2-10%), hard-to-borrow (10-50%), and extreme (above 50%). On July 30, 2026, 16 names on the market-wide list fell into the hard-to-borrow or extreme tier.
Where do these borrow rates come from?
Tapeboard compiles IBKR Securities Lending borrow fees daily and refreshes them each evening across the full market universe. These rates are daily snapshots, not real-time intraday rates, and they may differ from rates at other brokers.
Data and Methodology
- Borrow fee: IBKR Stock Loan Availability, updated daily each evening, market-wide.
- Rebate rate: IBKR Securities Lending data, where available.
See today's full squeeze analysis for the 7-factor composite ranking, or the hard-to-borrow leaderboard for the live pillar.
This post is for educational and informational purposes only and is not investment advice. Borrow fees reflect securities-lending conditions reported in IBKR's daily data; they are not real-time intraday rates and may differ from rates at other brokers. A high borrow fee does not constitute a buy or sell signal. Short selling carries unlimited downside risk. Editor: Marcus Reilly.