Top Short-Squeeze Candidates Today: August 18, 2026 — 7-Factor Leaderboard
SVRA tops Tapeboard's 7-factor squeeze leaderboard on August 18, 2026 with a 62/100 composite score, driven by 28.3% short interest and a 41.6% annualized borrow fee.
TL;DR: As of market close on August 18, 2026, SVRA leads Tapeboard's 7-factor squeeze leaderboard with a score of 62/100, driven by 28.3% short interest and a 41.6% annualized borrow fee.
Tapeboard's daily squeeze scan ranked 25 stocks by composite score on August 18, 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 this leaderboard is dominated by biotechnology names with elevated short interest and high FINRA threshold flags, while the lower half mixes consumer services and financials with moderate fees.
Today's August 18, 2026 Squeeze Score Leaderboard
| Rank | Symbol | Squeeze Score | SI % Float | Borrow Fee | Days to Cover | Mom 5d | T |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | SVRA | 62.0 | 28.3% | 41.6% | 20.1 | -3.6% | T |
| 2 | NRDY | 61.3 | 5.9% | 10.5% | 12.0 | — | T |
| 3 | CHGG | 61.1 | 6.8% | — | 5.4 | — | T |
| 4 | KOD | 59.3 | 26.0% | 41.3% | 20.6 | -3.5% | T |
| 5 | GLBS | 58.0 | 3.6% | — | 4.8 | — | T |
| 6 | ALXO | 57.8 | 8.1% | 29.1% | 13.3 | — | T |
| 7 | GRBK | 57.3 | 5.5% | 25.0% | 7.6 | — | T |
| 8 | LU | 57.2 | 1.7% | 49.2% | 7.6 | — | T |
| 9 | ELV | 56.9 | 2.6% | — | 3.9 | — | T |
| 10 | JKS | 56.6 | 9.4% | 41.5% | 4.5 | — | T |
| 11 | WB | 56.3 | 19.6% | 1.2% | 21.1 | -3.6% | T |
| 12 | RCEL | 56.3 | 8.6% | 11.7% | 11.1 | — | T |
| 13 | IDYA | 56.0 | 11.6% | 27.8% | 13.2 | — | T |
| 14 | XENE | 55.7 | 5.9% | 40.8% | 7.3 | — | T |
| 15 | VFF | 55.1 | 4.9% | — | 7.0 | — | T |
*Source: Tapeboard composite squeeze model, August 18, 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 shows a clear pattern: six of ten names carry borrow fees above 25%, and all ten are flagged on the FINRA threshold list, indicating heavy short-side volume concentration. The outlier is LU, which ranks eighth with a 57.2 score despite only 1.7% short interest — its 49.2% annualized borrow fee and 7.6 days to cover carry the composite. The model weights short interest at 35%, borrow fee at 25%, and days to cover at 15%, so names with extreme values in any single factor can climb the leaderboard.
Top 5 Names
1. SVRA — Squeeze Score 62/100
SVRA's primary driver is its 28.3% short interest of float, the second-highest in the top 5, combined with a 41.6% annualized borrow fee that signals persistent demand to borrow shares. The stock also shows a 20.1 days-to-cover figure, meaning shorts would need over four trading weeks to unwind at current volume. SVRA is flagged on the FINRA threshold list, confirming that at least 50% of recent volume was short-side over the last seven sessions.
2. NRDY — Squeeze Score 61.3/100
NRDY's composite is led by a 10.5% annualized borrow fee, the third-highest among the top 5, and a 5.9% short interest figure that is modest but paired with an 11.96 days-to-cover metric. The 5-day fee change of +0.88 percentage points signals rising borrowing costs week-over-week, a secondary squeeze indicator. NRDY is also on the FINRA threshold list, with a price of $0.66, reflecting heavy short-volume participation.
3. CHGG — Squeeze Score 61.1/100
CHGG's score is driven primarily by its 6.8% short interest and a 5.4 days-to-cover figure, though the borrow fee is null, so the model reweighted across the remaining factors. The stock trades at $0.79 and is flagged on the FINRA threshold list, indicating sustained short-side volume pressure. Without a fee component, CHGG's ranking relies more heavily on short interest and days-to-cover z-scores.
4. KOD — Squeeze Score 59.3/100
KOD's primary driver is its 26.0% short interest of float, nearly matching SVRA's level, paired with a 41.3% annualized borrow fee. The 20.6 days-to-cover figure is the highest in the top 5, suggesting very limited daily volume relative to short positions. KOD shows a 5-day momentum of -3.5%, indicating recent price decline, and is on the FINRA threshold list.
5. GLBS — Squeeze Score 58.0/100
GLBS ranks fifth with a 3.6% short interest and a 4.8 days-to-cover figure, though its borrow fee is null, so the composite reweighted across remaining factors. The stock is flagged on the FINRA threshold list, which is the main secondary signal here, given the lack of fee data. With a price of $3.58, GLBS's score is carried by short-volume concentration rather than cost-to-borrow pressure.
Factor Breakdown: How the Score Is Built
The Tapeboard squeeze score is a weighted composite of five core factors: 35% short interest as a percentage of float (FINRA), 25% borrow fee (IBKR), 20% float utilization, 15% days to cover, and 5% five-day momentum (Schwab). Each factor is z-scored against a live universe of roughly 500 liquid stocks, then weighted and normalized to a 0–100 scale. Data is attributed solely to FINRA, IBKR, Schwab, the SEC, and the exchanges (NYSE/NASDAQ). See the methodology for full details.
Frequently Asked Questions
What are the top short-squeeze candidates today?
The top three candidates by composite squeeze score on August 18, 2026 are SVRA (62.0, 28.3% SI, 41.6% borrow fee), NRDY (61.3, 5.9% SI, 10.5% borrow fee), and CHGG (61.1, 6.8% SI, borrow fee not available). All three are on the FINRA threshold list, indicating elevated short-volume activity. These scores reflect a blend of short interest, borrowing costs, and days-to-cover, not a prediction of price movement.
How does Tapeboard calculate its squeeze score?
The score combines seven factors — short interest % float, borrow fee, float utilization, FINRA short-volume ratio, days to cover, 5-day momentum, and fee change — each z-scored against a ~500-stock universe. The weighted formula assigns 35% to short interest, 25% to borrow fee, 20% to float utilization, 15% to days to cover, and 5% to momentum. The result is normalized to a 0–100 scale, with higher values indicating greater theoretical squeeze potential.
When does short-interest data update?
Short interest data lags approximately two weeks, following the FINRA settlement schedule, so the figures in today's leaderboard reflect positions as of early August 2026. Borrow fees update on a next-day basis from IBKR stock-loan availability data, providing a more current signal. The FINRA threshold list and short-volume data are updated daily.
Data and Methodology
- Squeeze Score: Tapeboard composite, recomputed nightly.
- 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.