Highest Borrow-Fee Stocks Today: August 21, 2026 — Hard-to-Borrow Rates
RGC carries the highest IBKR borrow fee at 258% annualized as of August 21, 2026, with 21 names sitting in the hard-to-borrow or extreme tier on today's market-wide list.
TL;DR: As of 10:50 PM ET on August 21, 2026, RGC carries the highest IBKR borrow fee in Tapeboard's market-wide ranking at 258% annualized. GCTK follows at 176.8% annualized, and INM ranks third at 171.8% annualized, both as of August 21, 2026.
The costliest name to borrow on a market-wide basis is RGC at 258% annualized as of August 21, 2026. Fees on today's list span 7.8% to 258% annualized; the median is 27%. One important caveat for readers scanning the top of this table: ultra-high rates in the triple-digit range typically flag distressed or nearly un-locatable names — very-low-float stocks, recent IPOs, or post-reverse-split issues — rather than conventional short squeeze setups. A high fee tells you shares are scarce in the lending pool; it does not tell you a squeeze is coming.
Today's Hard-to-Borrow Rate Table
| Rank | Symbol | Annualized Borrow Fee | Rebate Rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | RGC | 258.0% | −254.3% |
| 2 | GCTK | 176.8% | −173.2% |
| 3 | INM | 171.8% | −168.1% |
| 4 | EZGO | 141.9% | −138.3% |
| 5 | GOVX | 111.5% | −107.9% |
| 6 | JZ | 106.9% | −103.3% |
| 7 | DRMA | 106.9% | −103.2% |
| 8 | NXTC | 94.0% | −90.4% |
| 9 | SHOT | 82.2% | −78.6% |
| 10 | PHIO | 36.2% | −32.5% |
| 11 | PARA | 30.5% | −26.8% |
| 12 | EBET | 27.4% | −23.8% |
| 13 | WKHS | 27.0% | −23.3% |
| 14 | GRRR | 25.2% | −21.6% |
| 15 | BBIG | 22.7% | −19.1% |
| 16 | LCID | 16.3% | −12.7% |
| 17 | ZVSA | 15.9% | −12.3% |
| 18 | AERT | 12.9% | −9.3% |
| 19 | LGVN | 12.5% | −8.9% |
| 20 | DRTS | 12.3% | −8.7% |
| 21 | CGC | 11.3% | −7.6% |
| 22 | VVOS | 9.9% | −6.2% |
| 23 | INDO | 9.5% | −5.9% |
| 24 | RCEL | 9.4% | −5.8% |
| 25 | OPTT | 7.8% | −4.2% |
*Source: IBKR Securities Lending rates as compiled by Tapeboard, August 21, 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 21, 2026, 21 names on today's market-wide list fell in the hard-to-borrow or extreme tier. Nine of those sit in the extreme band alone, led by RGC's 258% annualized rate as of August 21, 2026 — a level at which maintaining a short position for even a few weeks becomes prohibitively expensive.
What a High Borrow Fee Signals
An annualized borrow fee is the stock-loan cost a short seller pays to maintain a bearish position. A high fee reflects scarcity in the lendable pool — when few shares are available to borrow, lenders charge more. 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. That is why the borrow fee is weighted at only 25% in Tapeboard's composite squeeze score, which also factors in short interest, price momentum, and volume. See the methodology for the full breakdown.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which stocks have the highest borrow fees today?
As of August 21, 2026, RGC leads the market-wide ranking at 258% annualized, followed by GCTK at 176.8% and INM at 171.8%. All three sit deep in Tapeboard's extreme tier (above 50%).
What is considered a high stock borrow fee?
Tapeboard defines four tiers: normal (under 2%), elevated (2-10%), hard-to-borrow (10-50%), and extreme (above 50%). Anything in the hard-to-borrow or extreme tiers signals meaningful scarcity in the lending pool.
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. Rates are daily, not real-time intraday, and may differ from rates quoted by 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.