Top Short-Squeeze Candidates Today: August 28, 2026 — 7-Factor Leaderboard
RNA leads Tapeboard's August 28, 2026 squeeze leaderboard with a 45.4 composite score, on a day where every top-25 name sits on the FINRA short-volume threshold and extreme borrow fees separate the leaders.
TL;DR: As of market close on August 28, 2026, RNA leads Tapeboard's 7-factor squeeze leaderboard with a score of 45.4/100, driven by its 22.4% short interest and a 0.6% annualized borrow fee.
Tapeboard's daily squeeze scan ranked 25 stocks by composite score on August 28, 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 the FINRA threshold flag, meaning at least 50% of their recent volume has traded short-side. This is a composite short squeeze ranking — not a raw short-interest sort — so names with moderate SI but extreme borrow costs can outrank higher-SI peers.
Today's August 28, 2026 Squeeze Score Leaderboard
| Rank | Symbol | Squeeze Score | SI % Float | Borrow Fee | Days to Cover | Mom 5d | T |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | RNA | 45.4 | 22.4% | 0.6% | 28.4 | +3.3% | T |
| 2 | SVRA | 45.1 | 28.3% | 2.3% | 20.1 | -5.9% | T |
| 3 | RGC | 44.8 | 1.6% | 252.2% | 4.1 | — | T |
| 4 | KOD | 43.9 | 26.0% | 0.3% | 20.6 | -1.6% | T |
| 5 | SHOT | 41.8 | 0.3% | 82.2% | 2.0 | — | T |
| 6 | OCGN | 40.9 | 31.8% | 2.7% | 21.6 | -5.0% | T |
| 7 | WKHS | 40.0 | 24.9% | 30.5% | 10.8 | -5.0% | T |
| 8 | MARA | 39.8 | 28.5% | — | 2.0 | -5.2% | T |
| 9 | TRIP | 39.7 | 25.5% | 0.4% | 11.7 | -1.3% | T |
| 10 | PCRX | 39.6 | 21.4% | 0.4% | 13.4 | +4.4% | T |
| 11 | WSM | 39.6 | 4.8% | 0.4% | 6.6 | — | T |
| 12 | IDYA | 39.5 | 11.6% | 0.3% | 13.2 | — | T |
| 13 | OPAL | 39.1 | 15.8% | 1.4% | 13.5 | -2.8% | T |
| 14 | GRBK | 38.8 | 5.5% | 0.3% | 7.6 | — | T |
| 15 | WB | 38.7 | 19.6% | 1.6% | 21.1 | -0.6% | T |
*Source: Tapeboard composite squeeze model, August 28, 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 splits into two camps: high-SI, long-cover names (RNA at 22.4% SI and 28.4 days to cover; SVRA at 28.3% SI and 20.1 days; OCGN at 31.8% SI) and fee-driven names where borrow cost does the lifting (RGC at 252.2%, SHOT at 82.2%, WKHS at 30.5%). The outlier is KOD at rank 4: its 0.3% borrow fee is the lowest in the top 10, so its 43.9 score is carried by 26.0% SI and 20.6 days to cover. Because short interest carries a 35% weight versus 25% for borrow fee, deep-SI names with cheap borrow can still outscore fee spikes — RGC's 1.6% SI is why its 252.2% fee lands at rank 3 rather than rank 1.
Top 5 Names
1. RNA — Squeeze Score 45.4/100
RNA leads on the SI and days-to-cover components: 22.4% of float short and 28.4 days to cover, the longest cover window on today's board. Its 0.6% borrow fee is cheap, but the fee fell 0.02 points over five days while the stock gained 3.3% — positive momentum against a heavy short base. It also carries the FINRA threshold flag.
2. SVRA — Squeeze Score 45.1/100
SVRA pairs 28.3% SI with 20.1 days to cover, both near the top of today's universe. The secondary signal is fee pressure: its 2.3% borrow fee rose 1.83 points over five days, the largest fee increase in the top five, even as the stock fell 5.9% over the same stretch. FINRA threshold flag is active.
3. RGC — Squeeze Score 44.8/100
RGC is the fee outlier: a 252.2% annualized borrow fee, the highest on the board by a wide margin. Its 1.6% SI is minimal, so the score is driven by borrow cost and the threshold flag, with 4.1 days to cover. The fee did fall 7.09 points over five days; momentum data was unavailable, so that component was reweighted across the remaining factors.
4. KOD — Squeeze Score 43.9/100
KOD reaches rank 4 almost entirely on float-side pressure: 26.0% SI and 20.6 days to cover against a 0.3% borrow fee that was essentially flat over five days (+0.0002 points). The stock slipped 1.6% over five sessions. It carries the FINRA threshold flag like every name on today's leaderboard.
5. SHOT — Squeeze Score 41.8/100
SHOT mirrors RGC's profile at a smaller scale: an 82.2% borrow fee against just 0.3% SI and 2.0 days to cover. Momentum and five-day fee-change data were unavailable, so the score was reweighted across the remaining factors. The FINRA threshold flag is active, indicating sustained short-side volume concentration.
Factor Breakdown: How the Score Is Built
The composite weights seven z-scored inputs: 35% SI% of float (FINRA), 25% borrow fee (IBKR), 20% float utilization, 15% days to cover, and 5% five-day price momentum (Schwab), with the FINRA short-volume ratio and week-over-week fee change informing the threshold and utilization components. Full detail is in the methodology. All underlying data comes from FINRA, IBKR, Schwab, the SEC, and the NYSE/NASDAQ exchanges.
Frequently Asked Questions
What are the top short-squeeze candidates today?
By composite squeeze score on August 28, 2026: RNA (45.4; 22.4% SI, 0.6% fee), SVRA (45.1; 28.3% SI, 2.3% fee), and RGC (44.8; 1.6% SI, 252.2% fee). All three carry the FINRA short-volume threshold flag.
How does Tapeboard calculate its squeeze score?
Each of seven factors — SI% of float, borrow fee, float utilization, days to cover, short-volume ratio, five-day momentum, and five-day fee change — is z-scored against a ~500-stock universe, then combined at weights of 35% SI, 25% fee, 20% utilization, 15% days-to-cover, and 5% momentum. Missing components are reweighted across the remaining factors.
When does short-interest data update?
Short interest lags roughly two weeks, published per the FINRA settlement schedule. Borrow fees and short-volume ratios update daily — fees reflect next-day IBKR stock-loan availability.
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.