Top Short-Squeeze Candidates Today: August 19, 2026 — 7-Factor Leaderboard
RGC dominates the August 19, 2026 squeeze leaderboard with a perfect 100/100 composite score, driven by extreme borrow fees and heavy short interest, while biotech and media names fill the top ranks.
TL;DR: As of market close on August 19, 2026, RGC leads Tapeboard's 7-factor squeeze leaderboard with a score of 100/100, driven by its 1.6% short interest and a 246.2% annualized borrow fee.
Tapeboard's daily squeeze scan ranked 25 stocks by composite score on August 19, 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 dominant pattern in today's top tier is extreme borrow-fee pressure, with RGC's triple-digit fee dwarfing all other names, while the rest of the top 10 leans on a mix of elevated short interest and high days-to-cover rather than fee spikes.
Today's August 19, 2026 Squeeze Score Leaderboard
| Rank | Symbol | Squeeze Score | SI % Float | Borrow Fee | Days to Cover | Mom 5d | T |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | RGC | 100.0 | 1.6% | 246.2% | 4.1 | +14.8% | T |
| 2 | SVRA | 60.6 | 28.3% | 0.4% | 20.1 | -2.1% | T |
| 3 | IDYA | 53.4 | 11.6% | 0.3% | 13.2 | — | T |
| 4 | ZH | 53.3 | 2.4% | — | 3.9 | — | T |
| 5 | GOTU | 53.1 | 1.7% | — | 6.4 | — | T |
| 6 | CVNA | 52.8 | 10.1% | 0.4% | 6.0 | — | T |
| 7 | OCGN | 52.7 | 31.8% | 2.9% | 21.6 | +5.7% | T |
| 8 | KRYS | 52.2 | 13.7% | 0.3% | 4.2 | — | T |
| 9 | CARS | 52.2 | 13.5% | 0.4% | 8.8 | — | T |
| 10 | VRTX | 51.8 | 1.6% | — | 3.0 | — | T |
| 11 | XENE | 51.7 | 5.9% | 0.4% | 7.3 | — | T |
| 12 | TROW | 51.7 | 12.1% | 0.3% | 12.4 | — | T |
| 13 | BURL | 51.6 | 4.4% | — | 4.1 | — | T |
| 14 | EVGO | 51.4 | 31.2% | 1.2% | 12.1 | -3.2% | T |
| 15 | CABA | 50.6 | 28.8% | 0.4% | 18.5 | +8.8% | T |
*Source: Tapeboard composite squeeze model, August 19, 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 is split between two signals: RGC stands alone on a 246.2% borrow fee and +14.8% five-day momentum, while SVRA, OCGN, and EVGO are carried by short interest above 28% of float and days-to-cover above 12. The outlier is VRTX, which ranks 10th with just 1.6% short interest and no reported borrow fee — its score is reweighted across the remaining factors, primarily the FINRA threshold flag and days-to-cover. The composite weights short interest most heavily at 35%, so names with lower SI need outsized contributions from the other six factors to crack the top tier.
Top 5 Names
1. RGC — Squeeze Score 100/100
RGC's primary driver is its annualized borrow fee of 246.2%, the highest in the entire dataset by a wide margin, reflecting extreme hard-to-borrow conditions. Its secondary signal is a +14.8% five-day momentum with a 1.6% short interest and 4.1 days to cover, plus a FINRA threshold flag. The combination of triple-digit fees and positive price momentum pushes its composite to the maximum score.
2. SVRA — Squeeze Score 60.6/100
SVRA's primary driver is its 28.3% short interest as a percentage of float, the second-highest in the top 5, paired with a 20.1 days-to-cover figure that signals extended covering time. Its borrow fee is a modest 0.4%, but the five-day fee change of +2.3 percentage points shows rising demand. SVRA is also on the FINRA threshold list, adding a short-volume confirmation to the squeeze setup.
3. IDYA — Squeeze Score 53.4/100
IDYA's primary driver is its 11.6% short interest with a 13.2 days-to-cover, indicating that any volume pickup would require multiple sessions to unwind. The borrow fee sits at 0.3% with a slight week-over-week decline of 0.4 percentage points, reducing fee-based pressure. IDYA carries the FINRA threshold flag, though its five-day momentum is null, so the score is reweighted across the remaining factors.
4. ZH — Squeeze Score 53.3/100
ZH's primary driver is its 2.4% short interest, which is low in absolute terms but still triggers the FINRA threshold flag, indicating that over 50% of recent volume was short-side. Its days-to-cover is 3.9, and no borrow fee or momentum data is available, so the composite leans on the threshold signal and float metrics. The score is reweighted across the available factors, with short interest carrying the most weight.
5. GOTU — Squeeze Score 53.1/100
GOTU's primary driver is its 1.7% short interest with a 6.4 days-to-cover, a moderate combination that still earns a FINRA threshold flag. No borrow fee or five-day momentum is reported, so the composite relies on the short-interest and days-to-cover components. The score of 53.1 places it just outside the top tier but firmly within the daily leaderboard.
Factor Breakdown: How the Score Is Built
The Tapeboard squeeze score is a weighted composite of seven 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 z-scored against a live universe of roughly 500 stocks, so the score reflects relative positioning rather than absolute levels. Data is sourced exclusively from FINRA, IBKR, Schwab, the SEC, and the exchanges (NYSE/NASDAQ); no other providers are used in the composite.
Frequently Asked Questions
What are the top short-squeeze candidates today?
The top three candidates by composite score are RGC (100/100) with 1.6% short interest and a 246.2% borrow fee, SVRA (60.6/100) with 28.3% short interest and a 0.4% borrow fee, and IDYA (53.4/100) with 11.6% short interest and a 0.3% borrow fee. All three carry the FINRA threshold flag, indicating elevated short-volume activity over the last seven sessions.
How does Tapeboard calculate its squeeze score?
The squeeze score is a z-scored composite of seven factors, weighted as follows: 35% short interest as a percentage of float, 25% borrow fee, 20% float utilization, 15% days to cover, and 5% five-day momentum. Each factor is normalized against a live ~500-stock universe, and missing values are reweighted across the remaining factors. The final score ranges from 0 to 100, with higher values indicating greater potential for a short squeeze.
When does short-interest data update?
Short interest data is published per the FINRA settlement schedule, which means it lags by roughly two weeks from the reporting date. Borrow fees from IBKR update daily, reflecting current stock-loan availability. The FINRA threshold list is updated daily as well, based on the prior session's short-volume ratio.
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.