Highest Borrow-Fee Stocks Today: August 24, 2026 — Hard-to-Borrow Rates
RGC carries the highest market-wide IBKR borrow fee at 272.4% annualized as of August 24, 2026, with 21 names on today's list sitting in the hard-to-borrow or extreme tier.
TL;DR: As of 10:50 PM ET on August 24, 2026, RGC carries the highest IBKR borrow fee in Tapeboard's market-wide ranking at 272.4% annualized. The next costliest names are EZGO at 209.1% and BIAF at 208.3%.
The costliest name to borrow on a market-wide basis is RGC at 272.4% annualized as of August 24, 2026. Fees on today's list span 8% to 272.4% annualized; the median is 27.3%. An important caveat for readers: 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 steep borrow fee tells you the stock is scarce in the lending pool, which is a cost-to-short signal, not a bullish thesis by itself.
Today's Hard-to-Borrow Rate Table
| Rank | Symbol | Annualized Borrow Fee | Rebate Rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | RGC | 272.4% | −268.8% |
| 2 | EZGO | 209.1% | −205.4% |
| 3 | BIAF | 208.3% | −204.6% |
| 4 | GCTK | 196.9% | −193.3% |
| 5 | INM | 161.0% | −157.4% |
| 6 | JZ | 106.9% | −103.3% |
| 7 | GOVX | 101.7% | −98.1% |
| 8 | DRMA | 98.6% | −95.0% |
| 9 | PHIO | 37.8% | −34.2% |
| 10 | PARA | 30.6% | −27.0% |
| 11 | WKHS | 29.6% | −26.0% |
| 12 | EBET | 27.6% | −24.0% |
| 13 | GRRR | 27.3% | −23.7% |
| 14 | KITT | 23.7% | −20.1% |
| 15 | BBIG | 21.5% | −17.9% |
| 16 | ZVSA | 16.0% | −12.4% |
| 17 | LCID | 14.5% | −10.8% |
| 18 | OPAD | 12.5% | −8.9% |
| 19 | DRTS | 12.3% | −8.6% |
| 20 | NRDY | 10.6% | −7.0% |
| 21 | BIRD | 10.6% | −6.9% |
| 22 | VVOS | 10.0% | −6.4% |
| 23 | RCEL | 9.4% | −5.8% |
| 24 | GETY | 9.3% | −5.7% |
| 25 | CYDY | 8.0% | −4.4% |
*Source: IBKR Securities Lending rates as compiled by Tapeboard, August 24, 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 24, 2026, 21 names on today's market-wide list fell in the hard-to-borrow or extreme tier. Eight of those — EZGO, BIAF, GCTK, INM, JZ, GOVX, and DRMA alongside RGC — sit deep in the extreme band with triple-digit annualized rates as of August 24, 2026, a zone that usually reflects shares that are nearly impossible to locate rather than ordinary short-sale demand.
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, 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 companies, very-low-float stocks, post-reverse-split issues, or recent IPOs where shares are almost impossible to locate; the fee is elevated because supply is broken, not because a squeeze is imminent. High cost-to-short is not the same as squeeze potential. That is why the borrow fee is weighted at 25% within Tapeboard's composite squeeze score, which also incorporates short interest, price momentum, and volume — see the methodology for the full weighting. If you are reviewing how borrow costs affected past short trades, a journaling tool like TradeZella can help you audit whether fees eroded your returns.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which stocks have the highest borrow fees today?
As of August 24, 2026, the three highest borrow fees in Tapeboard's market-wide ranking are RGC at 272.4% annualized, EZGO at 209.1%, and BIAF at 208.3%. All three sit in Tapeboard's extreme tier, well above the 50% threshold.
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 in the hard-to-borrow tier or higher represents a meaningful carrying cost for short sellers, and extreme-tier rates can make holding a short position prohibitively expensive within weeks.
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 are daily snapshot rates, not real-time intraday figures, and they may differ from rates quoted by other brokers.
Data and Methodology
Borrow fee: IBKR Stock Loan Availability data, updated daily each evening, covering the market-wide universe of IBKR-tracked securities. Rebate rate: IBKR Securities Lending data, where available; a negative rebate means the borrower pays additional cost on top of the quoted fee. 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.