Most Shorted Stocks Today: August 19, 2026 — Top 25 Squeeze Candidates
On August 19, 2026, Regencell Biosciences (RGC) tops the most shorted stocks leaderboard with a 100 squeeze score, a 246.2% borrow fee, and 1.6% short interest, while high-fee names and FINRA threshold flags dominate the top 25.
Most Shorted Stocks Today: August 19, 2026 — Top 25 Squeeze Candidates
On August 19, 2026, the most shorted stocks leaderboard is led by Regencell Biosciences (RGC) with a perfect 100 squeeze score, a borrow fee of 246.2%, and 1.6% of float sold short. The broader pattern across today's top 25 is a mix of extreme borrow costs, elevated short interest in biotech and EV names, and a heavy concentration of FINRA threshold flags indicating sustained short-side volume pressure.
August 19, 2026 Top 25 Short Squeeze Candidates
| Rank | Symbol | Squeeze Score | SI % Float | Borrow Fee | Days to Cover | T |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | RGC | 100.0 | 1.6% | 246.2% | 4.1 | T |
| 6 | SVRA | 60.6 | 28.3% | 0.4% | 20.1 | T |
| 13 | IDYA | 53.4 | 11.6% | 0.3% | 13.2 | T |
| 14 | ZH | 53.3 | 2.4% | — | 3.9 | T |
| 15 | GOTU | 53.1 | 1.7% | — | 6.4 | T |
| 16 | CVNA | 52.8 | 10.1% | 0.4% | 6.0 | T |
| 17 | OCGN | 52.7 | 31.8% | 2.9% | 21.6 | T |
| 18 | KRYS | 52.2 | 13.7% | 0.3% | 4.2 | T |
| 19 | CARS | 52.2 | 13.5% | 0.4% | 8.8 | T |
| 20 | VRTX | 51.8 | 1.6% | — | 3.0 | T |
| 21 | XENE | 51.7 | 5.9% | 0.4% | 7.3 | T |
| 22 | TROW | 51.7 | 12.1% | 0.3% | 12.4 | T |
| 23 | BURL | 51.6 | 4.4% | — | 4.1 | T |
| 24 | EVGO | 51.4 | 31.2% | 1.2% | 12.1 | T |
| 27 | CABA | 50.6 | 28.8% | 0.4% | 18.5 | T |
| 28 | LCID | 50.6 | 34.1% | 22.5% | 2.9 | T |
| 30 | PCRX | 50.2 | 21.4% | 0.4% | 13.4 | T |
| 31 | WB | 50.1 | 19.6% | 0.7% | 21.1 | T |
| 32 | URG | 49.7 | 15.5% | 0.7% | 8.4 | T |
| 33 | PSFE | 49.3 | 14.8% | 0.4% | 15.3 | T |
| 34 | KOD | 49.1 | 26.0% | 0.4% | 20.6 | T |
| 35 | WSM | 49.1 | 4.8% | 0.4% | 6.6 | T |
| 36 | WRBY | 49.0 | 18.5% | 0.4% | 7.2 | T |
| 37 | CHPT | 48.8 | 22.0% | 4.6% | 13.1 | T |
| 38 | QFIN | 48.7 | 3.5% | — | 3.7 | T |
Top 5 Names — Deep Dive
1. RGC — Squeeze Score 100
Regencell Biosciences sits at the top of the August 19, 2026 board with a perfect 100 squeeze score. The stock carries a borrow fee of 246.2%, the highest on today's entire list by a wide margin, while short interest sits at 1.6% of float and days to cover at 4.1. The float utilization of 1.6% indicates a tightly held float, and the 5-day momentum of +14.8% shows buyers already pressing. This is a high-fee, tight-float setup where any further reduction in share availability could force shorts to cover quickly.
6. SVRA — Squeeze Score 60.6
Savara ranks second on the leaderboard with a 60.6 squeeze score. Short interest is 28.3% of float, with days to cover at 20.1 — the highest on today's top 5 — meaning shorts would need over three weeks of average volume to unwind. The borrow fee is a modest 0.4%, but the 5-day momentum is -2.1%, indicating the stock is drifting lower. This is a high-SI, high-days-to-cover name where a positive catalyst could trigger a prolonged covering event.
13. IDYA — Squeeze Score 53.4
IDEAYA Biosciences posts a 53.4 squeeze score with 11.6% short interest and a borrow fee of 0.3%. Days to cover is 13.2, reflecting thin recent volume relative to short positions. The stock trades at $39.64 with no 5-day momentum data available. This is a steady, high-cover-time setup where the squeeze mechanics depend on volume picking up — if trading activity rises and shorts need to exit, the 13-day cover window could compress rapidly.
14. ZH — Squeeze Score 53.3
Zhihu scores 53.3 with 2.4% short interest and no borrow fee reported. Days to cover is 3.9, and the stock trades at $3.14. The FINRA threshold flag is active, indicating that more than half of recent volume has been short-side. This is a low-priced, threshold-flagged name where the short interest is small but persistent — a squeeze here would require a sharp volume spike to force covering.
15. GOTU — Squeeze Score 53.1
Gaotu Techedu rounds out the top 5 with a 53.1 squeeze score. Short interest is 1.7% of float, with days to cover at 6.4 and no borrow fee reported. The stock trades at $1.65 and carries a threshold flag. This is a low-float, sub-$2 name where the short squeeze setup is driven by low liquidity and threshold status — any buying pressure could move the price disproportionately.
Stocks Flagged on the FINRA Threshold List
Every name in today's top 25 carries the T flag, meaning each symbol shows sustained heavy short pressure on the FINRA Consolidated NMS daily short-volume file — more than 50% of recent volume was short-side. This broad threshold concentration across the entire leaderboard is unusual and signals that short sellers are aggressively active across the most-shorted universe. See the full scoring methodology for how the T flag integrates into the score.
How the Squeeze Score Is Built
The Tapeboard squeeze score combines five weighted inputs: 35% short interest as a fraction of float (FINRA), 25% borrow fee (IBKR), 20% float utilization, 15% days to cover, and 5% 5-day momentum (Schwab). All data is sourced exclusively from FINRA, IBKR, Schwab, and SEC filings. For a full breakdown of each component and weighting, visit the methodology page.
Check the live leaderboard for tomorrow's update.