Highest Borrow-Fee Stocks Today: September 29, 2026 — Hard-to-Borrow Rates
MSGY carries the highest IBKR borrow fee at 649.6% annualized as of September 29, 2026, and 12 names on the market-wide list fell in the hard-to-borrow or extreme tier.
TL;DR: As of 10:34 PM ET on September 29, 2026, MSGY carries the highest IBKR borrow fee in Tapeboard's market-wide ranking at 649.6% annualized. JZ is second at 591.6% and TOPS is third at 558.2%, both as of September 29, 2026.
The costliest name to borrow on a market-wide basis is MSGY at 649.6% annualized as of September 29, 2026. Fees on today's list span 1.8% to 649.6% annualized; the median is 6.8%. Ultra-high rates in the triple-digit range typically flag distressed or nearly un-locatable names rather than conventional short squeeze setups, so read this ranking as a cost-to-short list first. Four names sit above 100% annualized as of September 29, 2026: MSGY, JZ, TOPS and XPON at 134.5%. After that the list drops to 46.6% for CETX, which shows how concentrated the scarcity is at the top.
This is a daily, date-stamped companion to Tapeboard's Highest Borrow-Fee Stocks landing page.
Today's Hard-to-Borrow Rate Table
| Rank | Symbol | Annualized Borrow Fee | Rebate Rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | MSGY | 649.6% | −645.7% |
| 2 | JZ | 591.6% | −587.8% |
| 3 | TOPS | 558.2% | −554.3% |
| 4 | XPON | 134.5% | −130.6% |
| 5 | CETX | 46.6% | −42.7% |
| 6 | KITT | 32.5% | −28.6% |
| 7 | BYND | 29.4% | −25.5% |
| 8 | FNGR | 25.3% | −21.5% |
| 9 | BBIG | 21.4% | −17.6% |
| 10 | GRRR | 17.2% | −13.3% |
| 11 | ATER | 16.0% | −12.1% |
| 12 | OPAD | 14.3% | −10.4% |
| 13 | SPWR | 6.8% | −2.9% |
| 14 | LCID | 5.1% | −1.2% |
| 15 | CHPT | 3.8% | 0.1% |
| 16 | CRMT | 3.6% | 0.3% |
| 17 | IMPP | 3.5% | 0.4% |
| 18 | RUM | 3.4% | 0.4% |
| 19 | HIVE | 3.3% | 0.6% |
| 20 | EVTL | 2.3% | 1.6% |
| 21 | BARK | 2.3% | 1.6% |
| 22 | INO | 2.0% | 1.9% |
| 23 | WB | 1.9% | 2.0% |
| 24 | TE | 1.8% | 2.1% |
| 25 | CSIQ | 1.8% | 2.1% |
*Source: IBKR Securities Lending rates as compiled by Tapeboard, September 29, 2026 10:34 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 September 29, 2026, 12 names on today's market-wide list fell in the hard-to-borrow or extreme tier.
Three names, MSGY, JZ and TOPS, were in the extreme tier at more than 500% annualized as of September 29, 2026. XPON at 134.5% was also extreme, and eight names from CETX (46.6%) down to OPAD (14.3%) were hard-to-borrow. The rebate rate is negative for each of those 12 names, meaning the borrower pays extra cost on top of the fee. Rebates turn positive from CHPT (0.1%) downward as of September 29, 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. 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, alongside short interest, price momentum and volume. See the methodology for how the factors combine. A stock can rank high here and low on the composite, and the composite is the better tool for judging squeeze setups.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which stocks have the highest borrow fees today?
As of September 29, 2026, MSGY leads at 649.6% annualized, followed by JZ at 591.6% and TOPS at 558.2%. XPON is fourth at 134.5% as of September 29, 2026.
What is considered a high stock borrow fee?
Tapeboard categorizes annualized borrow fees as normal (under 2%), elevated (2-10%), hard-to-borrow (10-50%), and extreme (above 50%). On September 29, 2026, 12 names on the list were at 10% or higher.
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. The rates are daily, not real-time intraday, and may differ from other brokers.
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.