Highest Borrow-Fee Stocks Today: August 5, 2026 — Hard-to-Borrow Rates
As of August 5, 2026, ZCMD is the costliest stock to borrow at 839.3% annualized, leading 16 names in the hard-to-borrow or extreme tier.
TL;DR: As of 10:50 PM ET on August 5, 2026, ZCMD carries the highest IBKR borrow fee in Tapeboard's market-wide ranking at 839.3% annualized. KUST ranks second at 330.7% annualized, followed by JZ in third at 186.9% annualized.
The costliest name to borrow on a market-wide basis is ZCMD at 839.3% annualized as of August 5, 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 signals extreme scarcity in the lending pool, but it does not inherently indicate a bullish setup.
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, August 5, 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 August 5, 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. A high fee reflects scarcity in the lendable pool; 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. Borrow fee is weighted 25% in Tapeboard's composite squeeze score, alongside short interest, price momentum, and volume. Read the methodology for full details on how the score is calculated.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which stocks have the highest borrow fees today?
As of August 5, 2026, the stock with the highest borrow fee is ZCMD at 839.3% annualized. KUST is second at 330.7% annualized, and JZ is third at 186.9% annualized. These triple-digit rates indicate extreme scarcity in the stock-loan pool.
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%). Fees exceeding 10% reflect significant locate difficulty, while fees above 50% indicate severe lending scarcity typically associated with distressed or low-float securities.
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 represent daily snapshots rather than real-time intraday quotes, 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.