Most Shorted Stocks Today: October 20, 2026 — Top 25 Squeeze Candidates
CIFR leads the most shorted stocks on October 20, 2026 with a squeeze score of 92, 21.7% short interest as a share of float, and a 37.9% borrow fee.
On October 20, 2026, CIFR tops the most-shorted-stocks leaderboard with a squeeze score of 92, 21.7% short interest as a share of free float, a 37.9% borrow fee, and 1.7 days to cover. The board is dominated by names on the FINRA threshold list, with 15 of 25 symbols flagged for sustained heavy short pressure. Borrow costs are elevated across several high-conviction shorts, including GRRR at 1567.6% and LCID at 2076.1%.
October 20, 2026 Top 25 Short Squeeze Candidates
| Rank | Symbol | Squeeze Score | SI % Float | Borrow Fee | Days to Cover | T |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | CIFR | 92 | 21.7% | 37.9% | 1.7 | |
| 2 | FCEL | 91.6 | 33.2% | 25.0% | 3.6 | T |
| 3 | NBIS | 87.1 | 19.5% | 41.4% | 2.3 | T |
| 4 | IREN | 85.6 | 23.6% | 44.4% | 1.7 | |
| 5 | ASTS | 82.2 | 24.3% | 74.4% | 3.8 | T |
| 6 | GRRR | 81.7 | 19.5% | 1567.6% | 4.6 | T |
| 7 | CHPT | 80.9 | 19.5% | 328.3% | 4.8 | T |
| 8 | WULF | 80.2 | 31.2% | 41.4% | 3.3 | |
| 9 | ARCT | 79.1 | 20.6% | 41.7% | 7.3 | T |
| 10 | RXRX | 78.9 | 30.8% | 45.3% | 5.1 | T |
| 11 | HUT | 78.9 | 18.5% | 40.8% | 3.2 | |
| 12 | NVAX | 78.5 | 32.3% | 31.0% | 5.4 | T |
| 13 | LCID | 77.9 | 60.3% | 2076.1% | 9.0 | T |
| 14 | LEU | 77.8 | 30.9% | 48.4% | 7.3 | T |
| 15 | IMUX | 76.3 | 17.3% | 100.8% | 4.5 | T |
| 16 | IBRX | 75.9 | 30.5% | 48.5% | 7.7 | T |
| 17 | PRME | 75.7 | 27.9% | 51.6% | 6.2 | T |
| 18 | INO | 75.5 | 21.7% | 177.4% | 6.4 | |
| 19 | TE | 75.3 | 39.6% | 118.4% | 4.1 | |
| 20 | TWST | 72.1 | 19.1% | 27.8% | 3.3 | T |
| 21 | BTDR | 71.6 | 38.1% | 53.8% | 6.2 | T |
| 22 | INDI | 70.8 | 28.5% | 103.4% | 10.9 | T |
| 23 | CLSK | 70.7 | 30.9% | 30.8% | 4.5 | T |
| 24 | ANNX | 70.1 | 19.5% | 29.3% | 8.7 | T |
| 25 | MARA | 69.7 | 26.6% | 42.2% | 2.8 | T |
1. CIFR — Squeeze Score 92
CIFR leads the October 20, 2026 board with a squeeze score of 92. Short interest stands at 21.7% of free float, the borrow fee is 37.9%, and days to cover is 1.7. The stock fell 21.7% over the last five days to 8.94. This is a high-fee, tight-float setup where a positive catalyst could force covering quickly because shorts would need less than two days of average volume to exit. CIFR
2. FCEL — Squeeze Score 91.6
FCEL ranks second with a squeeze score of 91.6 and carries the highest short interest on the board at 33.2% of free float. The borrow fee is 25.0%, days to cover is 3.6, and the stock dropped 20.0% over five days to 12.89. FCEL is on the FINRA threshold list. Heavy short interest combined with threshold status means any buying pressure could trigger a short squeeze as covering flows hit a thinly traded float. FCEL
3. NBIS — Squeeze Score 87.1
NBIS holds rank three with a squeeze score of 87.1. Short interest is 19.5% of free float, the borrow fee is 41.4%, and days to cover is 2.3. The stock declined 17.1% over five days to 170.24. NBIS is on the FINRA threshold list. The combination of elevated borrow costs and low days to cover creates a classic pressure point where covering could accelerate if the stock stabilizes or reverses. NBIS
4. IREN — Squeeze Score 85.6
IREN sits at rank four with a squeeze score of 85.6. Short interest is 23.6% of free float, the borrow fee is 44.4%, and days to cover is 1.7. The stock fell 23.5% over five days to 27.73. This is a low-days-to-cover setup where even modest covering demand could move the price because shorts can exit quickly only if shares are available to borrow. IREN
5. ASTS — Squeeze Score 82.2
ASTS rounds out the top five with a squeeze score of 82.2. Short interest is 24.3% of free float, the borrow fee is 74.4%, and days to cover is 3.8. The stock dropped 12.6% over five days to 41.87. ASTS is on the FINRA threshold list. The high borrow fee makes carrying the short expensive over time, which increases the incentive to cover if momentum shifts. ASTS
Highest Borrow Fees on October 20, 2026
GRRR carries the most expensive borrow on the board at 1567.6% annualized, with short interest at 19.5% of free float and days to cover of 4.6. LCID follows at 2076.1%, pairing the highest short interest on the board at 60.3% of free float with 9.0 days to cover. CHPT shows a 328.3% borrow fee with 19.5% short interest and 4.8 days to cover. IMUX is at 100.8%, INDI at 103.4%, INO at 177.4%, and TE at 118.4%. These rates represent the annualized stock-loan cost shorts pay to maintain their positions, and when borrow availability tightens further, the cost of carrying a short can force covering before a trader intends.
Stocks Flagged on the FINRA Threshold List
Fifteen names on today's board carry the T flag: FCEL, NBIS, ASTS, GRRR, CHPT, ARCT, RXRX, NVAX, LCID, LEU, IMUX, IBRX, PRME, TWST, BTDR, INDI, CLSK, ANNX, and MARA. A T flag means the symbol shows sustained heavy short pressure on the FINRA Consolidated NMS daily short-volume file, where more than 50% of recent volume was short-side. See the FINRA threshold glossary for details on how the flag is determined, and visit /methodology/short-squeeze-score for the full scoring breakdown.
How the Score is Built
The Tapeboard squeeze score blends five inputs: 35% short interest as a share of float from FINRA, 25% borrow fee, 20% float utilization, 15% days to cover, and 5% five-day momentum. Data is attributed to FINRA and SEC. The full weighting methodology is documented at /methodology/short-squeeze-score.
What Changed vs the Previous Record
RXRX drops out of the top 5 (was rank 2, score 90.1). GRRR drops out of the top 5 (was rank 5, score 84.7).
Reviewing today's leaderboard can help traders identify which names carry the heaviest short pressure before the next session, much like maintaining a trading journal helps track setup performance over time. For those comparing options, TradeZella offers journaling tools built for active traders.
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