Highest Borrow-Fee Stocks Today: August 28, 2026 — Hard-to-Borrow Rates
JZ carries the highest borrow fee on August 28, 2026 at 743.3% annualized, with 18 names on today's market-wide list sitting in the hard-to-borrow or extreme tier.
TL;DR: As of 10:50 PM ET on August 28, 2026, JZ carries the highest IBKR borrow fee in Tapeboard's market-wide ranking at 743.3% annualized. ATPC ranks second at 642.3% and XPON third at 375.5%.
The costliest name to borrow on a market-wide basis is JZ at 743.3% annualized as of August 28, 2026. Fees on today's list span 4.1% to 743.3% annualized; the median is 27.1%. The borrow fee is the annualized cost a short seller pays to maintain a borrowed position, and rates in the triple-digit range — like the top three names today — typically flag distressed, very-low-float, or post-reverse-split stocks where shares are nearly impossible to locate in the lending pool, rather than conventional short squeeze setups. A high fee signals scarcity and cost-to-short; it is not, by itself, a bullish signal.
Today's Hard-to-Borrow Rate Table
| Rank | Symbol | Annualized Borrow Fee | Rebate Rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | JZ | 743.3% | −739.6% |
| 2 | ATPC | 642.3% | −638.6% |
| 3 | XPON | 375.5% | −371.9% |
| 4 | RGC | 252.2% | −248.6% |
| 5 | GCTK | 206.0% | −202.4% |
| 6 | INM | 161.0% | −157.4% |
| 7 | BIAF | 141.5% | −137.9% |
| 8 | GOVX | 107.8% | −104.2% |
| 9 | NXTC | 97.7% | −94.1% |
| 10 | SHOT | 87.2% | −83.6% |
| 11 | BYND | 43.8% | −40.1% |
| 12 | WKHS | 31.6% | −28.0% |
| 13 | GRRR | 27.1% | −23.5% |
| 14 | KITT | 23.8% | −20.1% |
| 15 | ZVSA | 16.0% | −12.3% |
| 16 | AERT | 13.0% | −9.4% |
| 17 | NRDY | 10.7% | −7.1% |
| 18 | BIRD | 10.6% | −6.9% |
| 19 | CGC | 8.6% | −5.0% |
| 20 | RCEL | 7.9% | −4.2% |
| 21 | LCID | 7.6% | −4.0% |
| 22 | ALPP | 7.0% | −3.3% |
| 23 | OPTT | 5.2% | −1.5% |
| 24 | IMPP | 4.1% | −0.5% |
| 25 | SLDP | 4.1% | −0.4% |
*Source: IBKR Securities Lending rates as compiled by Tapeboard, August 28, 2026 10:50 PM ET. Market-wide ranking across all IBKR-tracked securities. Not investment advice.*
The negative rebate rates above mean borrowers pay an additional cost on top of the headline fee — at JZ's level as of August 28, 2026, the effective cost of holding a short position is ruinous, which is typical of names where the lendable supply has effectively dried up. Well-known large-caps like BYND (43.8%) and LCID (7.6%) sit much further down the list, reflecting liquid but still costly borrow.
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 28, 2026, 18 names on today's market-wide list fell in the hard-to-borrow or extreme tier. Ten of those — JZ, ATPC, XPON, RGC, GCTK, INM, BIAF, GOVX, NXTC, and SHOT — sit in the extreme tier at fees above 50% annualized as of August 28, 2026.
What a High Borrow Fee Signals
An annualized borrow fee is the stock-loan cost a short seller pays to keep a position open. A high fee reflects scarcity in the lendable pool: when few shares are available to borrow, the price of borrowing rises. It does not, by itself, predict a squeeze. Names carrying triple-digit fees are often distressed companies, very-low-float stocks, post-reverse-split names, or recent IPOs 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 25% in Tapeboard's composite squeeze score rather than treated as a standalone signal; short interest, price momentum, and volume all factor in. See the methodology for the full weighting breakdown.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which stocks have the highest borrow fees today?
As of August 28, 2026, the three highest borrow fees in Tapeboard's market-wide ranking are JZ at 743.3% annualized, ATPC at 642.3%, and XPON at 375.5%. All three sit deep in the extreme tier, where the cost of maintaining a short position compounds rapidly.
What is considered a high stock borrow fee?
Tapeboard classifies annualized borrow fees as normal (under 2%), elevated (2-10%), hard-to-borrow (10-50%), and extreme (above 50%). Anything at or above the hard-to-borrow threshold represents a meaningful ongoing cost for short sellers.
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 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.