Most Shorted Stocks Today: September 3, 2026 — Top 25 Squeeze Candidates
VIR leads the most shorted stocks on September 3, 2026 with a 28.3 squeeze score, 15.2% short interest, and 13.6 days to cover, while extreme borrow fees at RGC (231.3%) and WKHS (28.4%) define the day's board.
On September 3, 2026, VIR tops the Tapeboard squeeze board with a score of 28.3, backed by 15.2% short interest as a share of float, a 0.3% borrow fee, and 13.6 days to cover. The broader pattern today is a split board: a cluster of mid-SI names with double-digit days to cover (SVRA at 27.1 days, SNDX at 15.0, XRX at 15.9) sits alongside a handful of extreme-fee outliers, most notably RGC at a 231.3% annualized borrow fee and WKHS at 28.4%. Nearly every name on the list is flagged on the FINRA threshold file, indicating sustained heavy short-side volume.
September 3, 2026 Top 25 Short Squeeze Candidates
| Rank | Symbol | Squeeze Score | SI % Float | Borrow Fee | Days to Cover | T |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10 | VIR | 28.3 | 15.2% | 0.3% | 13.6 | T |
| 11 | SVRA | 27.6 | 29.6% | 2.6% | 27.1 | T |
| 13 | IQ | 27.4 | 13.4% | 0.4% | 13.2 | T |
| 14 | OPAL | 26.7 | 15.0% | 1.4% | 12.2 | T |
| 15 | SNDX | 26.1 | 28.8% | 0.4% | 15.0 | T |
| 17 | GRBK | 26.0 | 5.9% | 0.4% | 9.0 | T |
| 18 | FAF | 25.9 | 5.6% | 0.3% | 8.9 | T |
| 19 | FCFS | 25.9 | 5.9% | 0.3% | 6.8 | T |
| 20 | GOLD | 25.8 | 16.1% | 0.4% | 8.0 | T |
| 21 | MITK | 25.3 | 8.3% | 0.3% | 4.5 | T |
| 22 | XRX | 24.9 | 32.9% | 1.8% | 15.9 | T |
| 24 | ZURA | 24.9 | 22.5% | 0.6% | 12.9 | T |
| 25 | RGC | 24.9 | 1.8% | 231.3% | 4.7 | T |
| 26 | SPWR | 24.5 | 9.5% | 6.8% | 1.8 | T |
| 28 | NXE | 24.4 | 6.8% | 0.4% | 9.0 | T |
| 29 | WKHS | 24.4 | 23.8% | 28.4% | 7.6 | T |
| 30 | TROW | 24.0 | 11.9% | 0.3% | 14.4 | T |
| 31 | CYDY | 24.0 | 2.7% | 8.4% | 17.1 | |
| 32 | ETON | 23.8 | 6.4% | 0.3% | 2.2 | T |
| 33 | CARS | 23.8 | 13.9% | 0.4% | 8.3 | T |
| 34 | FRPT | 23.6 | 15.5% | 0.4% | 4.0 | T |
| 36 | LI | 23.6 | 5.5% | 1.0% | 11.8 | T |
| 37 | LXRX | 23.6 | 12.5% | 0.5% | 10.9 | T |
| 38 | LX | 23.6 | 2.1% | 0.4% | 1.6 | T |
| 39 | BEKE | 23.4 | 3.9% | 0.4% | 10.3 | T |
Top 5 Names on September 3, 2026
10. VIR — Squeeze Score 28.3
VIR leads the board at 28.3 with a balanced profile: 15.2% of float sold short, a cheap 0.3% borrow fee, 13.6 days to cover, and positive 5-day momentum of +1.2% at a price of $11.40. This is a classic high-days-to-cover setup rather than a fee-driven one — shorts are not paying much to stay in, but it would take nearly three weeks of average volume to unwind. The catalyst mechanics are straightforward: any sustained buying pressure that lifts price forces shorts holding a 13.6-day position to compete for limited liquidity on the exit.
11. SVRA — Squeeze Score 27.6
SVRA posts the deepest structural short position on today's board: 29.6% of float short and a board-high 27.1 days to cover, with a 2.6% borrow fee at a $5.37 share price. Five-day momentum is -2.2%, so shorts are currently winning. This is a high-SI, high-days-to-cover trap setup — if a positive catalyst forces covering, a 27-day unwind queue against a 29.6% short base is the raw material of a violent repricing.
13. IQ — Squeeze Score 27.4
IQ scores 27.4 on 13.4% SI of float, a 0.4% borrow fee, and 13.2 days to cover at a sub-dollar price of $0.90. Momentum data is null for this name today. The setup is a low-priced, threshold-flagged name where the squeeze math depends entirely on volume: at 13.2 days to cover, even a modest uptick in buying relative to recent average volume stretches the unwind window quickly.
14. OPAL — Squeeze Score 26.7
OPAL comes in at 26.7 with 15.0% SI of float, a 1.4% borrow fee, 12.2 days to cover, and sharply negative 5-day momentum of -7.0% at $2.01. Shorts are pressing this name and being paid so far. The squeeze trigger here is mechanical: if the -7.0% slide stalls and price reclaims levels that put recent short entries underwater, covering into a 12-day liquidity funnel amplifies any bounce.
15. SNDX — Squeeze Score 26.1
SNDX rounds out the top five at 26.1 with 28.8% of float short, a cheap 0.4% borrow fee, 15.0 days to cover, and positive momentum of +2.6% at $20.68. This is the highest-SI name in the top five, and it is already moving against the shorts. If borrow availability tightens from current cheap levels, the combination of a 28.8% short base and a 15-day cover window gives squeeze dynamics room to run. Traders reviewing how prior setups like this played out in their own journals — whether in TraderVue or elsewhere — will recognize the pattern: high SI plus early adverse momentum is where squeezes start.
Stocks Flagged on the FINRA Threshold List
The T column marks symbols on the FINRA Consolidated NMS daily short-volume file where short-side volume exceeded 50% of total volume over recent sessions — sustained heavy short pressure, not a one-day spike. On September 3, 2026, every name on the board carries the T flag except CYDY (score 24.0, 8.4% borrow fee, 17.1 days to cover). See the full scoring breakdown at /methodology/short-squeeze-score.
How the Squeeze Score Is Built
The Tapeboard squeeze score weights five inputs: 35% SI % Float (FINRA), 25% borrow fee (IBKR), 20% float utilization, 15% days to cover, and 5% 5-day momentum (Schwab). Corporate action and filing context comes from SEC data. Full methodology: /methodology/short-squeeze-score.
Highest Borrow Fees on September 3, 2026
Fee pressure is concentrated in a few names today: RGC at 231.3%, WKHS at 28.4%, CYDY at 8.4%, and SPWR at 6.8%. A 231.3% annualized fee means RGC shorts pay roughly 0.63% per day to hold — a cost structure that forces exits on any adverse move regardless of conviction. That is the purest fee-driven short squeeze setup on the board, even with RGC's SI at just 1.8% of float.
Check the live leaderboard for tomorrow's updated scores and borrow fees.