Highest Borrow-Fee Stocks Today: August 18, 2026 — Hard-to-Borrow Rates
GCTK leads today's market-wide hard-to-borrow ranking at 252.9% annualized, with 18 names falling into the hard-to-borrow or extreme fee tiers as of August 18, 2026.
TL;DR: As of 10:50 PM ET on August 18, 2026, GCTK carries the highest IBKR borrow fee in Tapeboard's market-wide ranking at 252.9% annualized. The #2 and #3 tickers are RGC at 246.2% and INM at 180.2% annualized, respectively, as of the same timestamp.
The costliest name to borrow on a market-wide basis is GCTK at 252.9% annualized as of August 18, 2026. Fees on today's list span 3.5% to 252.9% annualized; the median is 13.6%. 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, not a momentum indicator.
Today's Hard-to-Borrow Rate Table
| Rank | Symbol | Annualized Borrow Fee | Rebate Rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | GCTK | 252.9% | −249.3% |
| 2 | RGC | 246.2% | −242.6% |
| 3 | INM | 180.2% | −176.6% |
| 4 | JZ | 116.6% | −113.0% |
| 5 | DRMA | 103.9% | −100.2% |
| 6 | GOVX | 92.3% | −88.7% |
| 7 | NXTC | 90.1% | −86.5% |
| 8 | PARA | 33.1% | −29.4% |
| 9 | EBET | 27.2% | −23.6% |
| 10 | BBIG | 22.7% | −19.1% |
| 11 | KITT | 21.0% | −17.4% |
| 12 | ZVSA | 15.9% | −12.3% |
| 13 | AERT | 13.6% | −10.0% |
| 14 | OPAD | 11.5% | −7.9% |
| 15 | GETY | 11.5% | −7.8% |
| 16 | RCEL | 11.0% | −7.4% |
| 17 | CGC | 10.7% | −7.1% |
| 18 | NRDY | 10.6% | −6.9% |
| 19 | BIRD | 9.9% | −6.2% |
| 20 | DRTS | 9.3% | −5.7% |
| 21 | CYDY | 8.1% | −4.4% |
| 22 | ALPP | 7.0% | −3.3% |
| 23 | RUM | 4.9% | −1.3% |
| 24 | CRMT | 4.0% | −0.3% |
| 25 | GLBS | 3.5% | 0.2% |
*Source: IBKR Securities Lending rates as compiled by Tapeboard, August 18, 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 18, 2026, 18 names on today's market-wide list fell in the hard-to-borrow or extreme tier. The top five — GCTK, RGC, INM, JZ, and DRMA — all sit in the extreme tier above 100%, reflecting severe scarcity in the lendable pool. Names like PARA (33.1%) and EBET (27.2%) are firmly in the hard-to-borrow bucket, while the bottom of the list (GLBS at 3.5%) is merely elevated.
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, which also incorporates short interest, price momentum, and volume. For a complete picture, consult the methodology.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which stocks have the highest borrow fees today?
As of August 18, 2026, the top three are GCTK at 252.9% annualized, RGC at 246.2%, and INM at 180.2%. These are followed by JZ at 116.6% and DRMA at 103.9%, all in the extreme tier.
What is considered a high stock borrow fee?
Tapeboard defines normal fees as under 2%, elevated as 2-10%, hard-to-borrow as 10-50%, and extreme as above 50%. Today, 18 names on the market-wide list fall into the hard-to-borrow or extreme tiers, with the median fee at 13.6%.
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 figures, and may differ from rates quoted at other brokers due to varying lendable supply and demand.
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.