Top Short-Squeeze Candidates Today: August 20, 2026 — 7-Factor Leaderboard
RGC tops Tapeboard's August 20, 2026 squeeze leaderboard with a 56.7 composite score, on a day when every name in the top 25 sits on the FINRA short-volume threshold list.
TL;DR: As of market close on August 20, 2026, RGC leads Tapeboard's 7-factor squeeze leaderboard with a score of 56.7/100, driven by its 1.6% short interest and a 241.1% annualized borrow fee.
Tapeboard's daily squeeze scan ranked 25 stocks by composite score on August 20, 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 today is threshold concentration: all 25 names on the leaderboard carry an active FINRA threshold flag, meaning short-side volume has run at or above 50% of recent volume over the last seven trading days. This is the defining feature of a short squeeze screen — crowded shorts meeting constrained supply.
Today's August 20, 2026 Squeeze Score Leaderboard
| Rank | Symbol | Squeeze Score | SI % Float | Borrow Fee | Days to Cover | Mom 5d | T |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | RGC | 56.7 | 1.6% | 241.1% | 4.1 | +3.8% | T |
| 2 | MRNA | 44.2 | 13.4% | 0.4% | 10.2 | — | T |
| 3 | WB | 36.1 | 19.6% | 1.2% | 21.1 | -5.9% | T |
| 4 | SVRA | 34.9 | 28.3% | 0.4% | 20.1 | +4.2% | T |
| 5 | WPM | 33.6 | 0.9% | 0.4% | 2.5 | — | T |
| 6 | OPAL | 33.5 | 15.8% | 1.5% | 13.5 | -4.3% | T |
| 7 | EH | 33.1 | 16.4% | 1.4% | 12.0 | -5.7% | T |
| 8 | PATH | 32.9 | 29.6% | 0.3% | 1.4 | -4.6% | T |
| 9 | EDIT | 32.5 | 20.3% | 0.4% | 18.2 | +4.6% | T |
| 10 | TROW | 32.2 | 12.1% | 0.3% | 12.4 | — | T |
| 11 | LCID | 31.9 | 34.1% | 17.9% | 2.9 | -12.7% | T |
| 12 | CHPT | 31.5 | 22.0% | 4.5% | 13.1 | -6.5% | T |
| 13 | PCRX | 31.4 | 21.4% | 0.4% | 13.4 | +2.8% | T |
| 14 | RCEL | 31.3 | 8.6% | 11.0% | 11.1 | — | T |
| 15 | FCFS | 31.2 | 5.6% | 0.3% | 4.2 | — | T |
*Source: Tapeboard composite squeeze model, August 20, 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 dominant signal across the top 10 is elevated days-to-cover paired with threshold-list status: WB at 21.1 days, SVRA at 20.1 days, and EDIT at 18.2 days all rank in the top 10 despite borrow fees near 1% or below. The clear outlier is RGC, which leads the board on a 241.1% annualized borrow fee — roughly 200x the next-highest fee in the top 10 — despite short interest of just 1.6% of float, the second-lowest SI reading on the entire leaderboard behind WPM at 0.9%. Because the score weights borrow fee at 25% and SI% float at 35%, RGC's extreme fee z-score was enough to overcome its minimal short-interest contribution.
Top 5 Names
1. RGC — Squeeze Score 56.7/100
RGC's score is driven almost entirely by its 241.1% annualized borrow fee, the highest on today's leaderboard by a wide margin. Short interest is just 1.6% of float and days-to-cover sits at 4.1, so the fee component dominates the composite. The name also carries an active FINRA threshold flag, and five-day momentum of +3.8% added a small positive contribution.
2. MRNA — Squeeze Score 44.2/100
MRNA ranks second on 13.4% short interest against float and 10.2 days to cover, both well above universe medians. Its borrow fee is a modest 0.4% annualized. Five-day momentum and fee-change inputs were null, so the score was reweighted across the remaining factors. The stock carries an active FINRA threshold flag.
3. WB — Squeeze Score 36.1/100
WB's 21.1 days to cover is the highest on today's board and the primary driver of its 36.1 composite. Short interest stands at 19.6% of float with a 1.2% borrow fee. Five-day momentum of -5.9% pulled the score down, while the borrow fee rose 0.22 percentage points over the past five sessions. WB is on the FINRA threshold list.
4. SVRA — Squeeze Score 34.9/100
SVRA combines 28.3% short interest of float with 20.1 days to cover, the two largest inputs to its score. The borrow fee is just 0.4% annualized, and the five-day fee change was essentially flat at -0.01 points. Momentum of +4.2% over five days added a modest positive. SVRA carries the FINRA threshold flag.
5. WPM — Squeeze Score 33.6/100
WPM is the mirror image of RGC: short interest of only 0.9% of float, a 0.4% borrow fee, and 2.5 days to cover, yet it ranks fifth. Momentum and fee-change inputs were null, so the score was reweighted across the remaining factors, where float utilization and the FINRA short-volume ratio carried the composite. WPM is on the FINRA threshold list.
Factor Breakdown: How the Score Is Built
The composite weights seven inputs: 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), with the FINRA Consolidated NMS short-volume ratio and week-over-week fee change folded into the z-scored blend. Each factor is standardized against a live ~500-stock universe and recomputed nightly. Full details are in the methodology. Source data comes from FINRA, IBKR, Schwab, the SEC, and the NYSE/NASDAQ exchanges.
Frequently Asked Questions
What are the top short-squeeze candidates today?
The top three by composite score on August 20, 2026 are RGC (56.7, 1.6% SI of float, 241.1% borrow fee), MRNA (44.2, 13.4% SI, 0.4% fee), and WB (36.1, 19.6% SI, 1.2% fee). All three carry an active FINRA threshold flag.
How does Tapeboard calculate its squeeze score?
Each of seven factors — SI% float, borrow fee, float utilization, short-volume ratio, days to cover, five-day momentum, and fee change — is z-scored against a ~500-stock universe, then blended at 35% SI, 25% fee, 20% utilization, 15% days-to-cover, and 5% momentum. When an input is missing, the score reweights across the remaining factors.
When does short-interest data update?
Short interest lags roughly two weeks because FINRA publishes it on a settlement-date schedule. Borrow fees, by contrast, update next-day from IBKR stock-loan availability, and short-volume data arrives daily from FINRA Consolidated NMS.
Data and Methodology
- Squeeze score: Tapeboard 7-factor 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.