Most Shorted Stocks Today: September 1, 2026 — Top 25 Squeeze Candidates
On September 1, 2026, RGC leads the Tapeboard squeeze leaderboard with a score of 52.4 driven by a 236.8% annualized borrow fee, while the board is dominated by threshold-flagged names with elevated days to cover.
Most Shorted Stocks Today: September 1, 2026
On September 1, 2026, RGC tops the Tapeboard short squeeze leaderboard with a squeeze score of 52.4, powered almost entirely by an extreme 236.8% annualized borrow fee — by far the most expensive short on the board despite a modest 1.8% short interest as a percentage of float. The broader pattern today is a threshold-heavy board: 24 of the top 25 names sit on the FINRA short-volume threshold list, and several mid-caps (SVRA, RNA, OCGN) pair 20%+ short interest with days to cover readings above 20.
September 1, 2026 Top 25 Short Squeeze Candidates
| Rank | Symbol | Squeeze Score | SI % Float | Borrow Fee | Days to Cover | T |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 8 | RGC | 52.4 | 1.8% | 236.8% | 4.7 | T |
| 11 | SVRA | 47.9 | 29.6% | 2.7% | 27.1 | T |
| 13 | OCGN | 46.5 | 32.1% | 2.3% | 23.9 | T |
| 14 | RNA | 44.5 | 22.1% | 0.6% | 27.5 | T |
| 17 | CYDY | 42.9 | 2.7% | 9.0% | 17.1 | |
| 18 | GRBK | 42.4 | 5.9% | 0.3% | 9.0 | T |
| 19 | PHM | 41.7 | 4.6% | 0.3% | 6.5 | T |
| 20 | TROW | 41.6 | 11.9% | 0.3% | 14.4 | T |
| 21 | PRAX | 41.3 | 15.5% | 0.4% | 7.8 | T |
| 22 | XRX | 40.4 | 32.9% | 1.5% | 15.9 | T |
| 23 | ABUS | 40.3 | 15.0% | 0.4% | 15.1 | T |
| 26 | KRYS | 40.1 | 13.7% | 0.3% | 10.3 | T |
| 27 | WB | 40.1 | 19.2% | 1.1% | 22.0 | T |
| 28 | NRDS | 39.6 | 12.7% | — | 4.4 | T |
| 29 | NXE | 39.5 | 6.8% | 0.4% | 9.0 | T |
| 31 | IDYA | 39.3 | 11.9% | 0.3% | 16.5 | T |
| 32 | IBRX | 39.3 | 32.3% | 1.1% | 15.4 | T |
| 33 | MAS | 39.0 | 3.8% | 0.4% | 3.2 | T |
| 34 | GPC | 38.9 | 5.3% | 0.4% | 6.7 | T |
| 35 | CHPT | 38.9 | 24.2% | 4.8% | 15.6 | T |
| 36 | CRSP | 38.8 | 19.5% | 0.4% | 15.6 | T |
| 37 | RDDT | 38.7 | 12.1% | — | 2.6 | T |
| 38 | WSM | 38.6 | 4.6% | 0.4% | 5.7 | T |
| 39 | FCFS | 38.6 | 5.9% | 0.3% | 6.8 | T |
| 40 | IBP | 38.6 | 8.0% | 0.3% | 5.3 | T |
Highest Borrow Fees on September 1, 2026
1. RGC — Squeeze Score 52.4
RGC is a pure fee-driven setup. The 236.8% annualized borrow fee is the standout number on today's entire board — nothing else is close, with the next-highest fee being CYDY at 9.0%. Short interest is only 1.8% of float and days to cover is a quick 4.7, but a fee that extreme signals severely constrained borrow supply. The mechanics: shorts paying 236.8% annualized are bleeding roughly 0.65% of position value per day just to hold. If borrow availability tightens further or any buy-ins are forced, covering demand hits a thin float fast. RGC is also on the threshold list, confirming sustained heavy short-side volume.
2. SVRA — Squeeze Score 47.9
SVRA is the classic high-SI, high-days-to-cover profile. Short interest stands at 29.6% of float, days to cover is 27.1 — the second-highest on the board — and the borrow fee is a manageable 2.7%. The stock is down 4.5% over the past five days at $5.35, so shorts are currently winning, which is exactly when positioning gets crowded. With nearly a third of the float short and almost a month of average volume needed to cover, any positive catalyst forces a slow, mechanical unwind.
3. OCGN — Squeeze Score 46.5
OCGN carries the second-highest short interest on the board at 32.1% of float, with 23.9 days to cover and a 2.3% borrow fee at a $1.34 share price. Momentum is negative at -5.0% over five days, mirroring SVRA's setup: heavy short positioning pressing a low-priced name lower. The squeeze trigger here is purely mechanical — if price stabilizes and shorts begin covering into 23.9 days of required volume, the exit queue is long.
4. RNA — Squeeze Score 44.5
RNA posts 22.1% short interest with the highest days to cover on the board at 27.5, and the cheapest meaningful borrow fee among the high-SI names at 0.6%. The stock trades at $13.75, down 1.6% over five days. Cheap borrow means shorts face no carrying-cost pressure, so this setup needs an external catalyst — but with 27.5 days of volume to unwind, any forced covering would be extended rather than sharp. Traders tracking how these slow-burn setups resolve should be journaling entries and exits systematically; a tool comparison like TradeZella versus Tapeboard's workflow is worth a look.
5. CYDY — Squeeze Score 42.9
CYDY is the only top-five name not on the threshold list. Its score is built on a 9.0% borrow fee — the second-highest today — and 17.1 days to cover, against just 2.7% short interest at a $0.22 share price. This is a borrow-scarcity setup: low reported SI but expensive, presumably tight locate supply. If borrow costs climb further, holding shorts gets uneconomic regardless of thesis.
Stocks Flagged on the FINRA Threshold List
The "T" column marks names on the FINRA threshold list — symbols where more than 50% of recent consolidated volume was short-side, sustained over the past seven trading days per the FINRA Consolidated NMS daily short-volume file. Today, 24 of 25 names carry the flag, with CYDY the lone exception. Threshold presence confirms the short pressure is active and ongoing, not stale positioning. See the full scoring breakdown at /methodology/short-squeeze-score.
How the Squeeze Score Is Built
The Tapeboard squeeze score (0–100) weights five inputs: 35% short interest as a percentage of float (FINRA), 25% borrow fee (IBKR stock-loan data), 20% float utilization, 15% days to cover, and 5% five-day price momentum (Schwab). Corporate action and filing context comes from SEC data. Full methodology: /methodology/short-squeeze-score.
Check the live leaderboard tomorrow for the September 2 update.