Top Short-Squeeze Candidates Today: September 1, 2026 — 7-Factor Leaderboard
RGC leads Tapeboard's September 1, 2026 squeeze leaderboard with a 52.4 composite score, on a day dominated by elevated borrow fees and heavy FINRA threshold-list concentration across biotech names.
TL;DR: As of market close on September 1, 2026, RGC leads Tapeboard's 7-factor squeeze leaderboard with a score of 52.4/100, driven by its 1.8% short interest and a 236.8% annualized borrow fee.
Tapeboard's daily squeeze scan ranked 25 stocks by composite score on September 1, 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-driven: the top of the board is anchored by an extreme borrow cost at RGC (236.8%), while 24 of 25 names sit on the FINRA threshold list, signaling sustained short-side volume across the board. This is a composite short squeeze ranking — not a raw short-interest league table.
Today's September 1, 2026 Squeeze Score Leaderboard
| Rank | Symbol | Squeeze Score | SI % Float | Borrow Fee | Days to Cover | Mom 5d | T |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | RGC | 52.4 | 1.8% | 236.8% | 4.7 | — | T |
| 2 | SVRA | 47.9 | 29.6% | 2.7% | 27.1 | -4.5% | T |
| 3 | OCGN | 46.5 | 32.1% | 2.3% | 23.9 | -5.0% | T |
| 4 | RNA | 44.5 | 22.1% | 0.6% | 27.5 | -1.6% | T |
| 5 | CYDY | 42.9 | 2.7% | 9.0% | 17.1 | — | |
| 6 | GRBK | 42.4 | 5.9% | 0.3% | 9.0 | — | T |
| 7 | PHM | 41.7 | 4.6% | 0.3% | 6.5 | — | T |
| 8 | TROW | 41.6 | 11.9% | 0.3% | 14.4 | — | T |
| 9 | PRAX | 41.3 | 15.5% | 0.4% | 7.8 | -4.0% | T |
| 10 | XRX | 40.4 | 32.9% | 1.5% | 15.9 | +7.1% | T |
| 11 | ABUS | 40.3 | 15.0% | 0.4% | 15.1 | — | T |
| 12 | KRYS | 40.1 | 13.7% | 0.3% | 10.3 | — | T |
| 13 | WB | 40.1 | 19.2% | 1.1% | 22.0 | -4.5% | T |
| 14 | NRDS | 39.6 | 12.7% | — | 4.4 | — | T |
| 15 | NXE | 39.5 | 6.8% | 0.4% | 9.0 | — | T |
*Source: Tapeboard composite squeeze model, September 1, 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
Nine of the top ten names carry the FINRA threshold flag, making short-volume concentration the broadest shared signal on the board, with days-to-cover above 14 in seven of the top ten. RGC is the outlier: its 236.8% borrow fee is roughly 26x the next-highest fee in the top ten (CYDY at 9.0%), while its 1.8% SI% float is the lowest in that group. Because the fee factor carries a 25% weight, that single component was enough to put a low-SI name at rank one ahead of SVRA's 29.6% SI and OCGN's 32.1% SI.
Top 5 Names
1. RGC — Squeeze Score 52.4/100
The primary driver is the 236.8% annualized borrow fee, the highest on today's board by a wide margin. Short interest is just 1.8% of float, so the score is fee-led rather than SI-led. RGC carries the FINRA threshold flag, and its 5-day fee change of -17.6 percentage points shows the fee easing off a still-extreme level. Five-day momentum was unavailable, so that component was reweighted across the remaining factors.
2. SVRA — Squeeze Score 47.9/100
SVRA's score is built on 29.6% of float sold short paired with 27.1 days to cover — the second-longest cover window in the top five. The borrow fee is a modest 2.7%, but it rose 0.8 percentage points over the last five sessions. The name is on the FINRA threshold list, and 5-day momentum of -4.5% shows shorts pressing rather than covering.
3. OCGN — Squeeze Score 46.5/100
OCGN combines 32.1% SI% float — the second-highest reading among the top five — with 23.9 days to cover. Its 2.3% borrow fee is low in absolute terms, and the 5-day fee change of -0.3 points is flat-to-down. The stock is on the FINRA threshold list, and momentum of -5.0% over five days indicates the short side has been winning the recent tape.
4. RNA — Squeeze Score 44.5/100
RNA posts 22.1% SI% float with the longest days-to-cover in the top five at 27.5. The borrow fee is just 0.6%, among the cheapest on the board, with a 5-day fee change of -0.4 points. It carries the FINRA threshold flag, and 5-day momentum of -1.6% is the shallowest decline among the high-SI biotech names ranked today.
5. CYDY — Squeeze Score 42.9/100
CYDY's 9.0% borrow fee is the second-highest in the top five and its clearest squeeze component, against only 2.7% SI% float. Days to cover sits at 17.1. CYDY is the one top-five name not on the FINRA threshold list. Both 5-day momentum and 5-day fee change were unavailable, so the score was reweighted across the remaining factors.
Factor Breakdown: How the Score Is Built
The composite weights five published components: 35% SI% of float (FINRA), 25% borrow fee (IBKR), 20% float utilization, 15% days to cover, and 5% five-day price momentum (Schwab). Each factor is z-scored against a ~500-stock universe before weighting, and missing components are reweighted across the remainder. Full detail is in the methodology.
Frequently Asked Questions
What are the top short-squeeze candidates today?
By composite squeeze score on September 1, 2026: RGC at 52.4 (1.8% SI, 236.8% borrow fee), SVRA at 47.9 (29.6% SI, 2.7% fee), and OCGN at 46.5 (32.1% SI, 2.3% fee). All three carry the FINRA threshold flag.
How does Tapeboard calculate its squeeze score?
Each of seven factors — SI% float, borrow fee, float utilization, FINRA short-volume ratio, days to cover, 5-day momentum, and 5-day fee change — is z-scored against a ~500-stock universe, then combined using the published weights (35/25/20/15/5 across the five primary components). The result is a 0–100 composite recomputed nightly.
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-August positioning. Borrow fees update next-day from IBKR stock-loan availability, and short-volume data arrives daily from FINRA Consolidated NMS.
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.