Highest Borrow-Fee Stocks Today: August 20, 2026 — Hard-to-Borrow Rates
GCTK carries the highest IBKR borrow fee at 342.1% annualized as of August 20, 2026, with 18 names on the market-wide list sitting in the hard-to-borrow or extreme tier.
TL;DR: As of 10:50 PM ET on August 20, 2026, GCTK carries the highest IBKR borrow fee in Tapeboard's market-wide ranking at 342.1% annualized. RGC ranks second at 245.9% annualized and EZGO third at 206.2% annualized, as of August 20, 2026.
The costliest name to borrow on a market-wide basis is GCTK at 342.1% annualized as of August 20, 2026. Fees on today's list span 3.8% to 342.1% annualized; the median is 27.6%. Context matters here: a triple-digit borrow fee typically flags a distressed company, a very-low-float stock, a recent IPO, or a post-reverse-split name where shares are nearly impossible to locate in the lending pool — not a conventional short squeeze setup. High cost-to-short is a scarcity signal, not a directional prediction.
Today's Hard-to-Borrow Rate Table
| Rank | Symbol | Annualized Borrow Fee | Rebate Rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | GCTK | 342.1% | −338.5% |
| 2 | RGC | 245.9% | −242.3% |
| 3 | EZGO | 206.2% | −202.5% |
| 4 | INM | 161.0% | −157.4% |
| 5 | JZ | 106.9% | −103.3% |
| 6 | DRMA | 99.4% | −95.8% |
| 7 | NXTC | 95.7% | −92.1% |
| 8 | GOVX | 91.5% | −87.8% |
| 9 | LOOP | 74.1% | −70.5% |
| 10 | CETX | 48.7% | −45.1% |
| 11 | PHIO | 38.8% | −35.1% |
| 12 | PARA | 32.0% | −28.4% |
| 13 | EBET | 27.6% | −24.0% |
| 14 | KITT | 23.0% | −19.4% |
| 15 | BBIG | 22.7% | −19.1% |
| 16 | LCID | 17.5% | −13.9% |
| 17 | VVOS | 10.8% | −7.1% |
| 18 | FNGR | 10.3% | −6.7% |
| 19 | DRTS | 9.9% | −6.3% |
| 20 | RCEL | 9.5% | −5.8% |
| 21 | CGC | 9.3% | −5.6% |
| 22 | ALPP | 7.0% | −3.3% |
| 23 | RUM | 4.9% | −1.2% |
| 24 | CHPT | 4.5% | −0.9% |
| 25 | ABCL | 3.8% | −0.2% |
*Source: IBKR Securities Lending rates as compiled by Tapeboard, August 20, 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 20, 2026, 18 names on today's market-wide list fell in the hard-to-borrow or extreme tier.
Nine names sit in the extreme tier as of August 20, 2026, led by GCTK (342.1%), RGC (245.9%), and EZGO (206.2%). Names such as INM (161.0%) and JZ (106.9%) also carry triple-digit annualized costs as of August 20, 2026 — levels that usually reflect distressed fundamentals or near-zero locate availability rather than crowded, high-conviction short positioning.
What a High Borrow Fee Signals
An annualized borrow fee is the stock-loan cost a short seller pays to maintain a short position. A high fee reflects scarcity in the lendable pool — when few shares are available to borrow, the price of borrowing them rises. Critically, a high fee 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: a genuine squeeze setup also requires elevated short interest, price momentum, and volume working together. That is why the borrow fee is weighted 25% in Tapeboard's composite squeeze score rather than treated as a standalone signal. See the methodology for the full 7-factor breakdown.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which stocks have the highest borrow fees today?
As of August 20, 2026, the top three are GCTK at 342.1% annualized, RGC at 245.9%, and EZGO at 206.2%. All three sit deep in Tapeboard's extreme tier (above 50%).
What is considered a high stock borrow fee?
Tapeboard defines annualized borrow fees as normal (under 2%), elevated (2-10%), hard-to-borrow (10-50%), and extreme (above 50%). Anything at or above 10% is meaningfully expensive to hold short; triple-digit rates generally indicate near-impossible locate conditions.
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 quotes, and may differ from rates at other brokers.
Data and Methodology
- Borrow fee: IBKR Stock Loan Availability data, updated daily each evening, covering the full market-wide universe of IBKR-tracked securities.
- Rebate rate: IBKR Securities Lending data, where available; a negative rebate represents an additional cost to the borrower.
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.