Top Short-Squeeze Candidates Today: October 2, 2026 — 7-Factor Leaderboard
KOD tops Tapeboard's October 2, 2026 squeeze leaderboard with a perfect 100/100 composite score, leading a top 10 dominated by elevated borrow fees and FINRA threshold-list names.
TL;DR: As of market close on October 2, 2026, KOD leads Tapeboard's 7-factor squeeze leaderboard with a score of 100/100, driven by its 27.0% short interest and a 89.9% annualized borrow fee.
Tapeboard's daily squeeze scan ranked 25 stocks by composite score on October 2, 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 on today's board is a combination of steep borrow fees and heavy short-side volume: 21 of 25 names sit on the FINRA threshold list, and the top-ranked names pair double-digit short interest with borrow costs well above the universe median. This is a composite short squeeze ranking — not a raw short-interest sort.
Today's October 2, 2026 Squeeze Score Leaderboard
| Rank | Symbol | Squeeze Score | SI % Float | Borrow Fee | Days to Cover | Mom 5d | T |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | KOD | 100.0 | 27.0% | 89.9% | 3.0 | +192.0% | T |
| 2 | IOVA | 95.9 | 22.1% | 27.8% | 4.7 | +29.2% | |
| 3 | SMR | 95.5 | 22.4% | 44.9% | 2.0 | −8.0% | T |
| 4 | VKTX | 94.9 | 19.9% | 49.3% | 2.8 | −15.8% | |
| 5 | FCEL | 93.7 | 32.7% | 41.4% | 4.2 | +12.0% | T |
| 6 | SDGR | 91.9 | 19.4% | 25.0% | 4.1 | +5.1% | T |
| 7 | PLAY | 89.9 | 36.8% | 39.2% | 2.9 | +2.0% | T |
| 8 | ASAN | 88.4 | 24.3% | 41.4% | 2.4 | −4.4% | T |
| 9 | PATH | 88.1 | 26.8% | 28.2% | 2.0 | +5.3% | T |
| 10 | CRBP | 87.0 | 18.2% | 42.5% | 2.0 | −14.1% | T |
| 11 | CIFR | 86.1 | 21.2% | 40.3% | 2.1 | −11.4% | T |
| 12 | TE | 85.6 | 34.0% | 193.1% | 3.4 | +3.7% | |
| 13 | CHPT | 85.6 | 21.6% | 361.7% | 2.4 | +4.0% | T |
| 14 | AGEN | 85.3 | 16.9% | 68.8% | 5.8 | −2.1% | T |
| 15 | BTDR | 82.4 | 34.3% | 26.3% | 5.5 | −4.3% |
*Source: Tapeboard composite squeeze model, October 2, 2026. Seven factors z-scored vs a ~500-stock universe. Short interest per FINRA settlement schedule; borrow fees from stock-loan availability; short-volume from FINRA Consolidated NMS. Not investment advice.*
What Drove Today's Rankings
The dominant signal across the top 10 is expensive borrow: every name from KOD (89.9%) through CRBP (42.5%) carries a borrow fee of 25% or higher, and eight of the ten are on the FINRA short-volume threshold list. The outlier is IOVA at #2, which holds the lowest fee in the top 10 (27.8%) and is carried instead by 22.1% short interest, 4.7 days to cover, and +29.2% five-day momentum. Because the composite is z-scored, extreme single-factor readings — like CHPT's 361.7% fee — lift scores sharply even when other components are middling.
Top 5 Names
1. KOD — Squeeze Score 100/100
KOD's primary driver is its 89.9% annualized borrow fee, the highest fee-to-score pairing on the board, layered on 27.0% short interest and 3.0 days to cover. Secondary signals reinforce the top rank: a +50.4 percentage-point rise in the borrow fee over five days and +192.0% five-day momentum, with the name flagged on the FINRA threshold list. Traders reviewing a session like this in a journal — TradeZella is one common comparison — would note fee acceleration as the defining marker.
2. IOVA — Squeeze Score 95.9/100
IOVA's score is driven primarily by 22.1% short interest and a 27.8% borrow fee, with 4.7 days to cover — the longest cover window in the top five. Its secondary signal is momentum: +29.2% over five days, second only to KOD on today's board. The borrow fee was flat over the trailing five days (0.0 pp change), and IOVA is not currently on the FINRA threshold list.
3. SMR — Squeeze Score 95.5/100
SMR's primary driver is the pairing of 22.4% short interest with a 44.9% annualized borrow fee and a tight 2.0 days to cover. The secondary signal is the FINRA threshold flag, indicating short-side volume at or above 50% of recent volume over the last seven trading days. Offsetting components include −8.0% five-day momentum and a −0.08 pp five-day fee change.
4. VKTX — Squeeze Score 94.9/100
VKTX ranks fourth on a 49.3% borrow fee against 19.9% short interest and 2.8 days to cover. Its secondary signals point the other direction: five-day momentum of −15.8% and a −0.20 pp decline in the borrow fee over five days. VKTX is not on the FINRA threshold list, so its composite rests on the fee and float-side components.
5. FCEL — Squeeze Score 93.7/100
FCEL's primary driver is 32.7% short interest — the second-highest float shorted in the top five — combined with a 41.4% borrow fee and 4.2 days to cover. Secondary confirmation comes from the FINRA threshold flag and +12.0% five-day momentum. The borrow fee was unchanged over the trailing five days (0.0 pp change).
Factor Breakdown: How the Score Is Built
The composite weights five components: 35% SI% of float (FINRA), 25% borrow fee, 20% float utilization, 15% days to cover, and 5% five-day momentum, with short-volume and fee-change inputs informing the z-scores. Each factor is standardized against a live ~500-stock universe before weighting. Full details are in the methodology.
Frequently Asked Questions
What are the top short-squeeze candidates today?
The top three by composite score are KOD (100/100, 27.0% SI, 89.9% borrow fee), IOVA (95.9/100, 22.1% SI, 27.8% fee), and SMR (95.5/100, 22.4% SI, 44.9% fee), as of October 2, 2026.
How does Tapeboard calculate its squeeze score?
Seven factors — short interest, borrow fee, float utilization, short-volume ratio, days to cover, momentum, and fee change — are z-scored against a ~500-stock universe, then weighted (35% SI, 25% fee, 20% utilization, 15% days-to-cover, 5% momentum) into a 0–100 composite recomputed nightly.
When does short-interest data update?
Short interest lags roughly two weeks under the FINRA settlement schedule, so the SI component reflects the most recent published settlement. Borrow fees, by contrast, update next-day from stock-loan availability.
Data and Methodology
- Squeeze score: Tapeboard composite, recomputed nightly.
- Short interest: FINRA, ~2-week settlement lag.
- Borrow fee: stock-loan availability, daily.
- Short-volume threshold: FINRA Consolidated NMS, daily.
- Momentum: 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.