Most Shorted Stocks Today: August 25, 2026 — Top 25 Squeeze Candidates
On August 25, 2026, RGC tops the most shorted stocks leaderboard with a squeeze score of 61.5 and a 272.4% borrow fee, while 24 of the top 25 names sit on the FINRA short-volume threshold list.
On August 25, 2026, RGC leads the Tapeboard short squeeze leaderboard with a score of 61.5 — more than 28 points clear of the next name — driven by an extreme 272.4% annualized borrow fee and a 4.05-day cover window. The broader pattern today is threshold concentration: 24 of the top 25 candidates carry the FINRA threshold flag, and elevated borrow costs (GRRR at 27.3%, CGC at 11.3%, RUM at 4.7%) matter more on this board than raw short interest, which tops out at 35.2% of float in RXRX.
August 25, 2026 Top 25 Short Squeeze Candidates
| Rank | Symbol | Squeeze Score | SI % Float | Borrow Fee | Days to Cover | T |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2 | RGC | 61.5 | 1.6% | 272.4% | 4.05 | T |
| 10 | ALXO | 32.9 | 8.1% | 0.3% | 13.28 | T |
| 12 | SVRA | 32.5 | 28.3% | 0.4% | 20.13 | T |
| 13 | KOD | 32.2 | 26.0% | 0.4% | 20.61 | T |
| 14 | FINV | 31.8 | 4.2% | 0.4% | 13.87 | T |
| 15 | MOMO | 31.7 | 2.2% | — | 4.33 | T |
| 16 | SMCI | 31.7 | — | — | 2.06 | |
| 19 | ZURA | 31.3 | 20.7% | 0.7% | 19.58 | T |
| 22 | PCRX | 29.9 | 21.4% | 0.5% | 13.39 | T |
| 24 | PRAX | 29.5 | 15.2% | 0.4% | 11.34 | T |
| 25 | FCFS | 29.4 | 5.6% | 0.3% | 4.19 | T |
| 27 | BRZE | 29.3 | 12.8% | 0.3% | 5.01 | T |
| 28 | WB | 29.3 | 19.6% | 1.4% | 21.09 | T |
| 29 | KRYS | 29.2 | 13.7% | 0.3% | 4.15 | T |
| 30 | TROW | 29.2 | 12.1% | 0.3% | 12.38 | T |
| 31 | URBN | 28.9 | 10.9% | 0.4% | 6.54 | T |
| 32 | CGC | 28.8 | 5.9% | 11.3% | 10.86 | T |
| 34 | GRBK | 28.7 | 5.5% | 0.4% | 7.61 | T |
| 35 | LI | 28.6 | 4.9% | 1.0% | 6.14 | T |
| 36 | GRRR | 28.6 | 18.5% | 27.3% | 4.04 | T |
| 37 | ILMN | 28.4 | 5.4% | 0.3% | 4.51 | T |
| 38 | RXRX | 28.3 | 35.2% | — | 9.31 | T |
| 40 | ZNTL | 28.3 | 11.5% | 0.4% | 4.16 | T |
| 41 | RUM | 28.2 | 23.7% | 4.7% | 12.89 | T |
| 42 | NXE | 28.1 | 7.2% | 0.4% | 8.50 | T |
Highest Borrow Fees on August 25, 2026
2. RGC — Squeeze Score 61.5
RGC is the outlier of the day and it isn't close. The 272.4% annualized borrow fee is the dominant input — shorts are paying a punitive carry just to stay in the trade — while days to cover sits at 4.05 and 5-day momentum is +1.5% at a $5.36 price. Reported short interest is only 1.6% of float, which makes this a classic high-fee, tight-availability setup rather than a high-SI crowding story: the float itself isn't heavily shorted on paper, but the loan market says locating shares is extremely expensive. RGC is on the threshold list. The squeeze mechanic here is simple — at a 272.4% carry, any sideways-to-up price action bleeds short positions daily, and if borrow availability tightens further or a positive catalyst forces covering, the fee itself becomes the catalyst as risk managers cut exposure.
10. ALXO — Squeeze Score 32.9
ALXO is a different animal: moderate 8.1% SI of float, a cheap 0.3% borrow fee, but a heavy 13.28 days to cover at a $2.00 share price. This is a low-liquidity grind setup — shorts can carry the position cheaply, but exiting takes nearly three weeks of average volume. The threshold flag confirms sustained short-side dominance in recent tape. What catalyzes a squeeze here is volume, not fees: any meaningful buy-side interest compresses that 13.28-day exit window and forces shorts to compete for shares.
12. SVRA — Squeeze Score 32.5
SVRA pairs 28.3% of float short with 20.13 days to cover — the second-longest cover window on today's board — and a +4.3% 5-day momentum reading at $5.70. The 0.4% borrow fee is trivial, so shorts aren't under cost pressure; the risk is purely structural. With more than a quarter of the float sold short and a month of volume needed to unwind, a positive catalyst forces covering into thin supply. This is the cleanest high-SI, high-DTC profile in the top five.
13. KOD — Squeeze Score 32.2
KOD shows 26.0% SI of float and 20.61 days to cover at a $40 price, with a negligible 0.4% borrow fee. The wrinkle: 5-day momentum is -2.9%, meaning shorts are currently winning. That cuts both ways — profitable shorts are patient shorts, but the crowded 26% positioning plus a 20-day exit window means any reversal forces a fast re-rating of risk. Traders reviewing setups like this in a journal — TradeZella is one option among several — will recognize the pattern: crowded shorts with negative momentum unwind hardest when the momentum flips.
14. FINV — Squeeze Score 31.8
FINV rounds out the top five with 4.2% SI of float, a 0.4% borrow fee, and 13.87 days to cover at $4.40. Nothing here is extreme on its own; the score comes from balance — every input is moderately elevated, and the threshold flag confirms persistent short pressure. The setup is slow-burn: without a fee clock ticking, shorts can wait, so the catalyst has to come from the buy side.
Stocks Flagged on the FINRA Threshold List
The T column marks names on the FINRA threshold list — symbols where short-side volume exceeded 50% of total volume on the FINRA Consolidated NMS daily short-volume file within the last seven trading days. Today, 24 of 25 names carry the flag; SMCI (score 31.7, 2.06 days to cover, +2.8% 5-day momentum) is the lone exception. See the full scoring breakdown at /methodology/short-squeeze-score.
How the Tapeboard Squeeze Score Is Built
The score runs 0–100 and weights five inputs: 35% SI % of float (FINRA), 25% borrow fee (IBKR), 20% float utilization, 15% days to cover, and 5% 5-day momentum (Schwab), with corporate and threshold data cross-checked against SEC filings. That's why RGC's 272.4% fee dominates the board despite its 1.6% SI, and why RXRX's board-leading 35.2% SI with +15.2% momentum still scores only 28.3 with no reported fee. Full methodology: /methodology/short-squeeze-score.
The board refreshes daily — check the live leaderboard for tomorrow's updated rankings.