Top Short-Squeeze Candidates Today: September 3, 2026 — 7-Factor Leaderboard
VIR tops Tapeboard's September 3, 2026 squeeze leaderboard with a 28.3 composite score, on a day when every name in the top 17 sat on the FINRA short-volume threshold list.
TL;DR: As of market close on September 3, 2026, VIR leads Tapeboard's 7-factor squeeze leaderboard with a score of 28.3/100, driven by its 15.2% short interest and a 0.3% annualized borrow fee.
Tapeboard's daily squeeze scan ranked 25 stocks by composite score on September 3, 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: every one of the top 17 names, and 24 of the 25 ranked, currently sits on the FINRA threshold, meaning short-side volume made up at least half of recent trading. That makes this a short squeeze screen defined more by persistent short-side pressure than by any single extreme fee reading.
Today's September 3, 2026 Squeeze Score Leaderboard
| Rank | Symbol | Squeeze Score | SI % Float | Borrow Fee | Days to Cover | Mom 5d | T |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | VIR | 28.3 | 15.2% | 0.3% | 13.6 | +1.2% | T |
| 2 | SVRA | 27.6 | 29.6% | 2.6% | 27.1 | -2.2% | T |
| 3 | IQ | 27.4 | 13.4% | 0.4% | 13.2 | — | T |
| 4 | OPAL | 26.7 | 15.0% | 1.4% | 12.2 | -7.0% | T |
| 5 | SNDX | 26.1 | 28.8% | 0.4% | 15.0 | +2.6% | T |
| 6 | GRBK | 26.0 | 5.9% | 0.4% | 9.0 | — | T |
| 7 | FAF | 25.9 | 5.6% | 0.3% | 8.9 | — | T |
| 8 | FCFS | 25.9 | 5.9% | 0.3% | 6.8 | — | T |
| 9 | GOLD | 25.8 | 16.1% | 0.4% | 8.0 | -9.8% | T |
| 10 | MITK | 25.3 | 8.3% | 0.3% | 4.5 | — | T |
| 11 | XRX | 24.9 | 32.9% | 1.8% | 15.9 | +11.1% | T |
| 12 | ZURA | 24.9 | 22.5% | 0.6% | 12.9 | +0.5% | T |
| 13 | RGC | 24.9 | 1.8% | 231.3% | 4.7 | — | T |
| 14 | SPWR | 24.5 | 9.5% | 6.8% | 1.8 | — | T |
| 15 | NXE | 24.4 | 6.8% | 0.4% | 9.0 | — | T |
*Source: Tapeboard composite squeeze model, September 3, 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 dominated by balanced profiles: moderate double-digit short interest, days-to-cover between roughly 7 and 27, and cheap-to-moderate borrow costs, with the FINRA threshold flag present across the board. The outlier is MITK at rank 10 — the lowest-fee, lowest-SI profile in the top 10 at 8.3% of float and a 0.3% fee — carried by its threshold status and float-side components rather than crowding. Because short interest and borrow fee together carry 60% of the weight, names like SVRA (29.6% SI, 27.1 days to cover) and XRX (32.9% SI) score high even with mixed momentum.
Top 5 Names
1. VIR — Squeeze Score 28.3/100
VIR leads the board on a balanced profile: 15.2% of float short, 13.6 days to cover, and a 0.3% borrow fee. Its secondary signal is the FINRA threshold flag, with short-side volume at or above half of recent trading. Five-day momentum printed +1.2%, and the five-day fee change was not reported, so that component reweighted across the remaining factors.
2. SVRA — Squeeze Score 27.6/100
SVRA posts the heaviest crowding in the top five: 29.6% of float short and 27.1 days to cover, the highest cover time on today's board. Its borrow fee sits at 2.6% annualized, and that fee fell 0.22 percentage points over the last five sessions. The name is on the FINRA threshold list; five-day momentum was -2.2%.
3. IQ — Squeeze Score 27.4/100
IQ ranks third with 13.4% of float short, a 0.4% borrow fee, and 13.2 days to cover. It carries the FINRA threshold flag. Both five-day momentum and five-day fee change were unavailable, so the score reweighted across the remaining factors, with the short-volume ratio and days-to-cover components doing the lifting.
4. OPAL — Squeeze Score 26.7/100
OPAL combines 15.0% of float short with a 1.4% borrow fee and 12.2 days to cover. Its fee declined 0.02 percentage points over five sessions, and five-day momentum printed -7.0%, the second-weakest reading in the top 10. The threshold flag remains in place, keeping its short-volume component elevated.
5. SNDX — Squeeze Score 26.1/100
SNDX shows 28.8% of float short — the second-highest SI in the top five — against a 0.4% borrow fee and 15.0 days to cover. Five-day momentum was +2.6%, the strongest positive print among the top five, and its fee was flat over the period. The name is on the FINRA threshold list.
Factor Breakdown: How the Score Is Built
The composite weights seven z-scored inputs: 35% short interest as a percentage of float (FINRA), 25% borrow fee (IBKR), 20% float utilization, 15% days to cover, and 5% five-day price momentum (Schwab), with the short-volume ratio and week-over-week fee change folded into the model. Each factor is standardized against a live ~500-stock universe so extreme readings in any single input move the score proportionally. Full details are in the methodology.
Frequently Asked Questions
What are the top short-squeeze candidates today?
As of September 3, 2026, the top three by composite squeeze score are VIR (28.3, 15.2% SI, 0.3% borrow fee), SVRA (27.6, 29.6% SI, 2.6% fee), and IQ (27.4, 13.4% SI, 0.4% fee). All three carry the FINRA short-volume threshold flag.
How does Tapeboard calculate its squeeze score?
Each of seven factors — short interest, borrow fee, float utilization, short-volume ratio, days to cover, five-day momentum, and five-day fee change — is z-scored against a ~500-stock universe, then combined using fixed weights (35% SI, 25% fee, 20% utilization, 15% days-to-cover, 5% momentum). Missing components are reweighted 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, so the fee component of the score reflects fresher conditions than the SI component.
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.