Top Short-Squeeze Candidates Today: September 14, 2026 — 7-Factor Leaderboard
SMR leads the September 14, 2026 squeeze leaderboard with a 33.7/100 composite score, on a day when elevated short interest and FINRA threshold concentration — not extreme borrow fees — drove most of the top rankings.
TL;DR: As of market close on September 14, 2026, SMR leads Tapeboard's 7-factor squeeze leaderboard with a score of 33.7/100, driven by its 19.1% short interest.
Tapeboard's daily squeeze scan ranked 25 stocks by composite score on September 14, 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 heavy short interest paired with FINRA threshold concentration: 9 of the top 10 names sit on the threshold list, and four of the top 10 carry short interest above 15% of float. This is a composite short squeeze ranking — not a raw list of the most-shorted stocks.
Today's September 14, 2026 Squeeze Score Leaderboard
| Rank | Symbol | Squeeze Score | SI % Float | Borrow Fee | Days to Cover | Mom 5d | T |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | SMR | 33.7 | 19.1% | — | 1.7 | -12.3% | T |
| 2 | SVRA | 31.6 | 31.8% | 1.7% | 24.3 | -0.6% | T |
| 3 | HAIN | 30.8 | — | — | 6.9 | -16.9% | |
| 4 | OCGN | 30.7 | 31.0% | 2.2% | 28.2 | -22.1% | T |
| 5 | OPTT | 30.6 | 16.4% | 4.5% | 9.0 | — | T |
| 6 | TROW | 30.4 | 12.5% | 0.4% | 20.5 | -3.6% | T |
| 7 | PCRX | 30.2 | 21.7% | 3.0% | 17.0 | -6.3% | T |
| 8 | BEKE | 30.0 | 3.5% | — | 4.1 | — | T |
| 9 | RGC | 29.9 | 1.7% | 225.0% | 8.1 | — | T |
| 10 | OPAL | 29.1 | 15.1% | 1.5% | 18.4 | -8.0% | T |
| 11 | OKLO | 28.9 | 23.3% | — | 3.5 | -12.3% | T |
| 12 | FINV | 28.9 | 4.4% | — | 4.0 | — | T |
| 13 | IDYA | 28.6 | 11.6% | 0.3% | 12.2 | — | T |
| 14 | WKHS | 28.3 | 24.8% | 27.5% | 9.3 | -3.2% | T |
| 15 | DE | 27.8 | 2.0% | 0.3% | 3.6 | — | T |
*Source: Tapeboard composite squeeze model, September 14, 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
Short interest and days-to-cover did most of the work in the top 10: SVRA (31.8% SI, 24.3 days to cover), OCGN (31.0% SI, 28.2 days to cover), and PCRX (21.7% SI, 17.0 days to cover) all scored 30+ on the back of those two components. The outlier is TROW at rank 6, which carries the lowest borrow fee in the top 10 at just 0.4% and a moderate 12.5% SI — its 30.4 score is carried largely by a 20.5-day cover figure. Because short interest and borrow fee together account for 60% of the composite weight, names with null fee prints like SMR and BEKE had their scores reweighted across the remaining factors.
Top 5 Names
1. SMR — Squeeze Score 33.7/100
SMR tops the board with 19.1% of float sold short, the primary driver of its 33.7 composite. Its borrow fee print is null, so the score reweighted across the remaining factors; a 1.7-day cover and a -12.3% five-day slide still left it on the FINRA threshold list at an $8.51 close.
2. SVRA — Squeeze Score 31.6/100
SVRA pairs 31.8% short interest — the second-highest SI reading in the top 15 — with a 24.3-day cover, its primary score driver. The secondary signal is a 1.7% borrow fee that actually fell 0.57 percentage points over five days, alongside a FINRA threshold flag at a $5.36 close.
3. HAIN — Squeeze Score 30.8/100
HAIN reaches 30.8 despite null short-interest and borrow-fee prints, meaning the score reweighted across the remaining factors. The visible drivers are a -16.9% five-day momentum reading and a 6.9-day cover; HAIN is the only top-10 name not on the FINRA threshold list, closing at $0.61.
4. OCGN — Squeeze Score 30.7/100
OCGN combines 31.0% short interest with a 28.2-day cover — the longest cover period in the top 10 — as its primary driver. Secondary signals include a 2.2% borrow fee (up 0.19 points over five days), a -22.1% five-day momentum reading, and an active FINRA threshold flag at $1.07.
5. OPTT — Squeeze Score 30.6/100
OPTT posts 16.4% short interest and the highest borrow fee in the top five at 4.5%, its primary driver. The fee fell 0.64 points over the last five days, and with momentum data null the score reweighted across the remaining factors; OPTT remains on the FINRA threshold list at $2.71 with a 9.0-day cover.
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 momentum (Schwab), with threshold status and fee change informing the utilization and fee components. Each input is standardized against a ~500-stock live universe before weighting. Read the methodology for the full specification.
Frequently Asked Questions
What are the top short-squeeze candidates today?
As of September 14, 2026, the top three are SMR (33.7/100, 19.1% SI, fee print null), SVRA (31.6/100, 31.8% SI, 1.7% borrow fee), and HAIN (30.8/100, SI and fee prints null). Rankings reflect the 7-factor composite, not raw short interest alone.
How does Tapeboard calculate its squeeze score?
Each of the seven inputs — SI% of float, borrow fee, float utilization, days to cover, five-day momentum, threshold status, and fee change — is z-scored against a ~500-stock universe, then combined at 35/25/20/15/5 weights across the core components. Missing inputs trigger reweighting across the remaining factors.
When does short-interest data update?
Short interest updates on the FINRA settlement schedule and lags roughly two weeks, so today's SI figures reflect mid-cycle positions. Borrow fees update next-day from IBKR stock-loan availability, making the fee component the fresher of the two.
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.