Most Shorted Stocks Today: August 18, 2026 — Top 25 Squeeze Candidates
OCGN leads the most shorted stocks on August 18, 2026 with a 53.6 squeeze score, 31.8% short interest, and a 21.6-day days-to-cover, while the broader board shows elevated borrow fees and heavy FINRA threshold concentration.
Most Shorted Stocks on August 18, 2026 — Leaderboard
The most shorted stocks on August 18, 2026 are led by OCGN, which posts the highest short interest at 31.8% of float, a 53.6 squeeze score, and a 21.6-day days to cover. The broader board is defined by a mix of high-fee biotech names, threshold-flagged small caps, and a few large-cap laggards, with six names carrying a FINRA threshold flag and several showing borrow fee rates above 10%.
August 18, 2026 Top 25 Short Squeeze Candidates
| Rank | Symbol | Squeeze Score | SI % Float | Borrow Fee | Days to Cover | T |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 8 | SVRA | 62.0 | 28.3% | 0.4% | 20.1 | T |
| 11 | NRDY | 61.3 | 5.9% | 10.5% | 12.0 | T |
| 12 | CHGG | 61.1 | 6.8% | — | 5.4 | T |
| 13 | KOD | 59.3 | 26.0% | 0.4% | 20.6 | T |
| 14 | GLBS | 58.0 | 3.6% | — | 4.8 | T |
| 16 | ALXO | 57.8 | 8.1% | 0.3% | 13.3 | T |
| 17 | GRBK | 57.3 | 5.5% | 0.3% | 7.6 | T |
| 18 | LU | 57.2 | 1.7% | 0.5% | 7.6 | T |
| 20 | ELV | 56.9 | 2.6% | — | 3.9 | T |
| 21 | JKS | 56.6 | 9.4% | 0.4% | 4.5 | T |
| 22 | WB | 56.3 | 19.6% | 1.2% | 21.1 | T |
| 23 | RCEL | 56.3 | 8.6% | 11.7% | 11.1 | T |
| 24 | IDYA | 56.0 | 11.6% | 0.3% | 13.2 | T |
| 25 | XENE | 55.7 | 5.9% | 0.4% | 7.3 | T |
| 27 | VFF | 55.1 | 4.9% | — | 7.0 | T |
| 28 | HRMY | 54.2 | 8.7% | 0.4% | 5.1 | T |
| 29 | CASY | 54.0 | 4.6% | — | 6.0 | T |
| 30 | TRIP | 54.0 | 25.5% | 0.4% | 11.7 | T |
| 31 | ALNY | 53.9 | 3.6% | — | 2.2 | T |
| 32 | HSDT | 53.9 | 2.9% | 3.5% | 10.5 | T |
| 33 | ROOT | 53.8 | 16.5% | 0.3% | 10.4 | T |
| 34 | OPAL | 53.7 | 15.8% | 1.7% | 13.5 | T |
| 35 | PCRX | 53.6 | 21.4% | 0.4% | 13.4 | T |
| 36 | OCGN | 53.6 | 31.8% | 2.9% | 21.6 | T |
| 37 | GOLD | 53.3 | 15.6% | 0.5% | 8.3 | T |
8. SVRA — Squeeze Score 62.0
SVRA tops the board with a 62.0 squeeze score, driven by 28.3% short interest and a 20.1-day days to cover. The borrow fee is low at 0.4%, meaning shorts are not paying a premium to hold, but the extended cover window and 5-day momentum of -3.6% suggest trapped sellers. A squeeze here would require a positive catalyst that forces those 20-plus days of volume to compress into a shorter window, likely on a news-driven volume spike.
11. NRDY — Squeeze Score 61.3
NRDY carries a 61.3 score with a 10.5% borrow fee — one of the highest on the board — and 5.9% short interest. At 12.0 days to cover, the setup is a high-fee, low-float name where the cost of holding the short position is already meaningful. If the borrow availability tightens further, the fee could escalate, pushing marginal shorts to exit and accelerating any upward move.
12. CHGG — Squeeze Score 61.1
CHGG scores 61.1 despite a modest 6.8% short interest and no reported borrow fee (null in the data). The 5.4-day days to cover is the shortest among the top names, indicating that any covering would be quick if volume picks up. This is a lower-fee, lower-SI setup that relies on a sharp catalyst to trigger a fast, short-covering move rather than a slow bleed.
13. KOD — Squeeze Score 59.3
KOD shows a 59.3 score with 26.0% short interest and a 20.6-day days to cover, the longest cover window on the board. The 0.4% borrow fee is cheap, but the 5-day momentum of -3.5% suggests shorts are still pressing. Any positive development that forces a reassessment of the thesis would require nearly three weeks of average volume to unwind, creating a classic squeeze setup if buyers step in.
22. WB — Squeeze Score 56.3
WB rounds out the top-five deep dives with a 56.3 score, 19.6% short interest, and a 1.2% borrow fee. The 21.1-day days to cover is the second-longest on the leaderboard, and the 5-day momentum of -3.6% indicates continued selling pressure. This is a high-SI, low-fee name where the squeeze trigger is not cost-driven but event-driven — a positive surprise would force a lengthy covering process.
Highest Borrow Fees on August 18, 2026
The standout borrow fee story on August 18, 2026 is RCEL at 11.7%, followed closely by NRDY at 10.5%. These are the only two names with double-digit fees in the top 25. Most other names sit below 1%, with HSDT at 3.5% and OCGN at 2.9% as the next tier. A high borrow fee means shorts are paying a significant annualized cost to hold, which raises the bar for staying short and increases the likelihood of covering on any positive catalyst.
Stocks Flagged on the FINRA Threshold List
Every name on today's leaderboard carries the T flag, meaning all 25 are on the FINRA threshold list. This is a rare concentration — a full sweep of the top board. The T flag indicates sustained heavy short pressure where short volume exceeded 50% of total volume in at least one of the last seven trading days. When an entire leaderboard is threshold-flagged, it signals broad, persistent short-side activity across sectors, from biotech (SVRA, ALXO) to education (CHGG) to large-cap healthcare (ELV, ALNY).
How the Squeeze Score Is Built
The Tapeboard short squeeze score is a weighted composite of five inputs: 35% short interest as a fraction of float (FINRA), 25% borrow fee (IBKR), 20% float utilization (FINRA), 15% days to cover (FINRA), and 5% 5-day momentum (Schwab). Higher scores indicate greater potential for a squeeze, driven by a combination of high short pressure, expensive borrowing, and limited float availability. Data sources are limited to FINRA, IBKR, Schwab, and SEC filings. See the full breakdown on our methodology page.
What the T Flag Means
The T column marks symbols on the FINRA short-volume threshold list, which captures stocks where short volume was at least 50% of total volume over a recent session. This is a regulatory flag that confirms heavy short-side participation, not a prediction of direction. It is a useful filter for identifying names where short sellers are unusually active, but it does not by itself signal a squeeze. For the full scoring breakdown, see our methodology page.
Check the live leaderboard for tomorrow's update.