Top Short-Squeeze Candidates Today: August 13, 2026 — 7-Factor Leaderboard
NXTC leads Tapeboard's August 13, 2026 squeeze leaderboard with a 65.7 composite score, driven by 58.6% short interest and a 95.3% borrow fee, as biotechnology names dominate the top ranks.
TL;DR: As of market close on August 13, 2026, NXTC leads Tapeboard's 7-factor squeeze leaderboard with a score of 65.7/100, driven by 58.6% short interest and a 95.3% annualized borrow fee.
Tapeboard's daily squeeze scan ranked 25 stocks by composite score on August 13, 2026, combining seven factors: short interest as a percentage of float, annualized borrow fee, float utilization, the FINRA Consolidated NMS short-volume ratio, days to cover, five-day price momentum, and week-over-week borrow-fee change — each z-scored against a live ~500-stock universe. The top of the board is heavily concentrated in biotechnology names with extreme borrow fees, while the lower half mixes technology, media, and financial services names with moderate short interest and fee pressure.
Today's August 13, 2026 Squeeze Score Leaderboard
| Rank | Symbol | Squeeze Score | SI % Float | Borrow Fee | Days to Cover | Mom 5d | T |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | NXTC | 65.7 | 58.6% | 95.3% | 1.0 | +48.1% | T |
| 2 | SVRA | 50.3 | 26.2% | 0.4% | 20.8 | — | T |
| 3 | ARX | 49.9 | — | — | 2.5 | +58.7% | |
| 4 | OCGN | 48.8 | 31.7% | 3.8% | 18.9 | +8.9% | T |
| 5 | CRMD | 47.9 | 21.0% | 0.6% | 17.0 | +8.4% | T |
| 6 | EVGO | 46.9 | 31.2% | 1.2% | 12.9 | — | T |
| 7 | CHWY | 45.1 | 12.0% | 0.4% | 3.4 | -4.1% | T |
| 8 | URGN | 44.9 | 13.2% | — | 6.9 | +5.5% | T |
| 9 | ARCT | 44.8 | 31.5% | 0.5% | 13.5 | +29.3% | T |
| 10 | WB | 43.7 | 20.7% | 1.1% | 20.8 | -3.0% | T |
| 11 | PLAY | 42.8 | 42.4% | 0.9% | 7.9 | +5.4% | T |
| 12 | CSIQ | 42.5 | 29.1% | 1.1% | 6.9 | -1.0% | T |
| 13 | NBIS | 42.1 | 29.0% | 0.6% | 3.5 | +34.3% | T |
| 14 | TRIP | 42.0 | 28.5% | 0.4% | 11.0 | +5.3% | T |
| 15 | KRYS | 42.0 | 14.9% | 0.3% | 11.4 | — | T |
*Source: Tapeboard composite squeeze model, August 13, 2026. Seven factors z-scored vs a ~500-stock universe. Short interest per FINRA settlement schedule; borrow fees from IBKR stock-loan availability; short-volume from FINRA Consolidated NMS. Not investment advice.*
What Drove Today's Rankings
The top 10 are dominated by names with either extreme short interest (NXTC at 58.6%, PLAY at 42.4%) or high days-to-cover (SVRA at 20.8, WB at 20.8, OCGN at 18.9), with nearly all carrying a FINRA threshold flag. ARX is the clear outlier: it ranks third with a score of 49.9 despite missing short-interest and borrow-fee data, carried entirely by a +58.7% five-day momentum and a 2.5 days-to-cover reading, with the score reweighted across the remaining factors. The model's weights favor short interest (35%) and borrow fee (25%), so names with extreme values on those components, like NXTC's 95.3% fee, anchor the top of the board.
Top 5 Names
1. NXTC — Squeeze Score 65.7/100
NXTC's primary driver is a 58.6% short interest against float, the highest on the entire leaderboard, combined with a 95.3% annualized borrow fee that signals extreme hard-to-borrow conditions. The name also carries a FINRA threshold flag and posted a +48.1% five-day momentum, indicating shorts are under pressure while the fee continues to climb. The composite score of 65.7 is more than 15 points above the next closest name, making NXTC the clear standout for August 13, 2026.
2. SVRA — Squeeze Score 50.3/100
SVRA's primary driver is its 20.8 days to cover, the highest on the board, meaning shorts would need nearly a month of average volume to exit positions. Its short interest sits at 26.2% of float, but the borrow fee is a minimal 0.4%, so the score is carried by the days-to-cover and FINRA threshold flag rather than fee pressure. The five-day momentum data is null, so the score reweighted across the remaining factors, keeping SVRA in the second spot.
3. ARX — Squeeze Score 49.9/100
ARX is the outlier of the top five, with no short-interest or borrow-fee data available; the composite reweighted across the remaining factors. Its primary driver is a +58.7% five-day momentum, the strongest on the entire leaderboard, paired with a 2.5 days-to-cover reading. ARX is not on the FINRA threshold list, making its high score purely a momentum-and-coverage signal rather than a short-pressure signal.
4. OCGN — Squeeze Score 48.8/100
OCGN's primary driver is its 18.9 days to cover, the second-highest on the board, combined with a 31.7% short interest against float. The borrow fee is moderate at 3.8%, and the five-day momentum is +8.9%, adding a positive price signal. OCGN carries a FINRA threshold flag, confirming that short volume has exceeded 50% of recent activity over the last seven trading days.
5. CRMD — Squeeze Score 47.9/100
CRMD's primary driver is its 17.0 days to cover, supported by a 21.0% short interest against float. The borrow fee is low at 0.6%, and the five-day fee change is slightly negative at -0.1 percentage points, indicating no new borrowing cost pressure. The name is on the FINRA threshold list, and its +8.4% five-day momentum adds a mild bullish tilt to the composite.
Factor Breakdown: How the Score Is Built
The Tapeboard composite squeeze score is a weighted, z-scored blend of five core factors: 35% short interest as a percentage of float (FINRA), 25% annualized borrow fee (IBKR), 20% float utilization, 15% days to cover, and 5% five-day price momentum (Schwab). Each factor is normalized against a live ~500-stock universe, and missing data points are reweighted across the remaining factors to avoid bias. See the methodology for the full derivation. Data is sourced exclusively from FINRA, IBKR, Schwab, SEC filings, and exchange disclosures from NYSE/NASDAQ.
Frequently Asked Questions
What are the top short-squeeze candidates today?
The top three candidates by composite squeeze score on August 13, 2026 are NXTC (65.7/100, 58.6% short interest, 95.3% borrow fee), SVRA (50.3/100, 26.2% short interest, 0.4% borrow fee), and ARX (49.9/100, short interest and borrow fee data unavailable). NXTC is the standout due to its extreme fee and short interest combination, while SVRA and ARX rely on days-to-cover and momentum respectively.
How does Tapeboard calculate its squeeze score?
Tapeboard calculates the squeeze score by z-scoring each of the seven factors against a live ~500-stock universe, then applying fixed weights: 35% to short interest as a percentage of float, 25% to borrow fee, 20% to float utilization, 15% to days to cover, and 5% to five-day momentum. The z-scores are summed and normalized to a 0-100 scale, with missing factors reweighted across the remaining components.
When does short-interest data update?
Short interest data lags approximately two weeks per the FINRA settlement schedule, so the figures in today's leaderboard reflect positions as of late July 2026. Borrow fees update on a next-day basis from IBKR stock-loan availability, while the FINRA threshold list and short-volume data are refreshed daily.
Data and Methodology
- Squeeze score: Tapeboard composite, recomputed nightly from seven z-scored factors.
- Short interest: FINRA, ~2-week settlement lag.
- Borrow fee: IBKR stock-loan availability, daily.
- Short-volume threshold: FINRA Consolidated NMS, daily.
- Momentum: Schwab, end-of-day.
See today's highest borrow fees for the full hard-to-borrow ranking, or the live squeeze leaderboard for tomorrow's update.
This post is for educational and informational purposes only and is not investment advice. Short selling carries unlimited downside risk. A quantitative composite does not predict price, and past squeezes are not indicative of future moves. Editor: Marcus Reilly.