Top Short-Squeeze Candidates Today: August 21, 2026 — 7-Factor Leaderboard
RGC tops Tapeboard's August 21, 2026 squeeze leaderboard with a 43.2/100 composite score, in a session where extreme borrow fees — not raw short interest — separated the leaders from the pack.
TL;DR: As of market close on August 21, 2026, RGC leads Tapeboard's 7-factor squeeze leaderboard with a score of 43.2/100, driven by its 1.6% short interest and a 245.9% annualized borrow fee.
Tapeboard's daily squeeze scan ranked 25 stocks by composite score on August 21, 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 fee pressure: the two highest composite scores, RGC (43.2) and NXTC (24.1), carry borrow fees of 245.9% and 95.7% respectively, while nearly every name in the top 15 sits on the FINRA threshold list. This is a composite short squeeze ranking, not a raw short-interest ranking — multi-factor stress, not float percentage alone, drives the order.
Today's August 21, 2026 Squeeze Score Leaderboard
| Rank | Symbol | Squeeze Score | SI % Float | Borrow Fee | Days to Cover | Mom 5d | T |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | RGC | 43.2 | 1.6% | 245.9% | 4.1 | -2.8% | T |
| 2 | SHOT | 28.4 | 0.3% | — | 2.0 | — | T |
| 3 | SVRA | 26.4 | 28.3% | 0.4% | 20.1 | +3.9% | T |
| 4 | IDYA | 24.9 | 11.6% | 0.3% | 13.2 | — | T |
| 5 | WB | 24.7 | 19.6% | 1.3% | 21.1 | -8.3% | T |
| 6 | EH | 24.7 | 16.4% | 1.4% | 12.0 | -7.1% | T |
| 7 | PCRX | 24.3 | 21.4% | 0.4% | 13.4 | +7.3% | T |
| 8 | NXTC | 24.1 | 6.3% | 95.7% | 1.0 | — | |
| 9 | BEAM | 24.0 | 26.6% | 0.3% | 11.3 | +11.3% | T |
| 10 | IMUX | 23.6 | 12.1% | 0.8% | 10.1 | — | T |
| 11 | CHGG | 23.4 | 6.8% | 0.4% | 5.4 | — | T |
| 12 | EDIT | 23.2 | 20.3% | 0.5% | 18.2 | +10.3% | T |
| 13 | INDO | 23.2 | 5.8% | — | 1.8 | — | T |
| 14 | TRIP | 23.1 | 25.5% | 0.4% | 11.7 | -6.9% | T |
| 15 | BDX | 22.9 | 3.7% | — | 5.7 | — | T |
*Source: Tapeboard composite squeeze model, August 21, 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
Across the top 10, the dominant signal is a combination of elevated short-volume threshold flags (9 of 10 names) paired with either extreme borrow fees or heavy float short interest. RGC and NXTC are the fee outliers at 245.9% and 95.7% annualized; the rest of the top 10 clusters on float-side stress, with SVRA at 28.3% of float short and BEAM at 26.6%. The clearest break in the pattern is SVRA, which ranks third with only a 0.4% borrow fee — its score is carried by 28.3% SI/float and a 20.1-day cover time. Because short interest is the largest weight at 35%, high-float-short names with cheap borrow still score competitively.
Top 5 Names
1. RGC — Squeeze Score 43.2/100
RGC leads the board primarily through its borrow-fee component: at 245.9% annualized, it is the most expensive name to short in today's universe by a wide margin. The fee also rose 2.3 percentage points over the last five sessions. Secondary signals include a 4.1-day cover time, a FINRA threshold flag, and -2.8% five-day momentum, with short interest at 1.6% of float.
2. SHOT — Squeeze Score 28.4/100
SHOT ranks second at 28.4 with short interest of just 0.3% of float and a 2.0-day cover time. Borrow fee and five-day momentum data are unavailable, so the score reweighted across the remaining factors. The name carries a FINRA threshold flag, indicating at least 50% of recent volume on the short side over the last seven trading days.
3. SVRA — Squeeze Score 26.4/100
SVRA posts the highest short interest in the top five at 28.3% of float, paired with a 20.1-day cover time — the second-longest on the board. Its borrow fee is only 0.4% and fell slightly over five days, so the score is driven almost entirely by float-side stress. Five-day momentum is +3.9%, and the name is on the FINRA threshold list.
4. IDYA — Squeeze Score 24.9/100
IDYA scores 24.9 on 11.6% of float sold short and a 13.2-day cover time, with a cheap 0.3% borrow fee that was flat over the last five sessions. Five-day momentum is unavailable, so the score reweighted across the remaining factors. IDYA carries a FINRA threshold flag.
5. WB — Squeeze Score 24.7/100
WB ties EH at 24.7, built on 19.6% of float short and a 21.1-day cover time — the longest in the top five. Its borrow fee rose 0.2 percentage points over five days to 1.3%, and five-day momentum is -8.3%. The name is flagged on the FINRA threshold list.
Factor Breakdown: How the Score Is Built
The composite weights are: 35% SI%Float (FINRA), 25% Borrow Fee (IBKR), 20% Float Utilization, 15% Days to Cover, and 5% five-day momentum (Schwab). Each component is z-scored against a ~500-stock universe before weighting, so a name can rank highly through fee stress, float stress, or both. Read the methodology for the full specification.
Frequently Asked Questions
What are the top short-squeeze candidates today?
As of August 21, 2026, the top three by composite squeeze score are RGC (43.2/100, 1.6% SI/float, 245.9% borrow fee), SHOT (28.4/100, 0.3% SI/float, fee data unavailable), and SVRA (26.4/100, 28.3% SI/float, 0.4% borrow fee). The leaderboard mixes fee-driven and float-driven profiles rather than ranking by short interest alone.
How does Tapeboard calculate its squeeze score?
Each of the component factors is z-scored against a live ~500-stock universe, then combined at fixed weights: 35% short interest, 25% borrow fee, 20% float utilization, 15% days to cover, and 5% five-day momentum. When a component is missing, the score reweights across the remaining factors.
When does short-interest data update?
Short interest is published on the FINRA settlement schedule and lags roughly two weeks, so today's SI figures reflect mid-month positioning. Borrow fees, by contrast, update next-day from IBKR stock-loan availability, making them the timeliest stress signal in the composite.
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.