Top Short-Squeeze Candidates Today: October 8, 2026 — 7-Factor Leaderboard
FCEL leads Tapeboard's October 8, 2026 squeeze leaderboard with a composite score of 95.9/100 on a day when elevated short interest, not extreme borrow fees, drove the top of the board.
TL;DR: As of market close on October 8, 2026, FCEL leads Tapeboard's 7-factor squeeze leaderboard with a score of 95.9/100, driven by its 32.7% short interest and a 0.4% annualized borrow fee.
Tapeboard's daily squeeze scan ranked 25 stocks by composite score on October 8, 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 moderate borrow fees: seven of the top ten carry SI above 20% of float, while only BIRD (rank 13, 10.5% fee) sits in hard-to-borrow territory. This is a short squeeze composite ranking, not a raw short-interest sort, so names with balanced pressure across factors outrank single-factor extremes.
Today's October 8, 2026 Squeeze Score Leaderboard
| Rank | Symbol | Squeeze Score | SI % Float | Borrow Fee | Days to Cover | Mom 5d | T |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | FCEL | 95.9 | 32.7% | 0.4% | 3.9 | +4.1% | T |
| 2 | PRME | 94.8 | 27.9% | 0.4% | 7.1 | +19.7% | T |
| 3 | TWST | 92.3 | 22.6% | 0.3% | 4.0 | -19.1% | |
| 4 | HUT | 91.2 | 16.2% | 0.3% | 3.2 | -7.8% | T |
| 5 | CIFR | 89.0 | 21.2% | 0.4% | 2.1 | -12.7% | |
| 6 | RXRX | 87.1 | 34.8% | 0.5% | 6.3 | -2.9% | T |
| 7 | TE | 86.0 | 34.0% | 1.7% | 3.5 | -7.8% | |
| 8 | WULF | 83.6 | 31.7% | 0.4% | 4.1 | -8.5% | T |
| 9 | SDGR | 80.4 | 19.4% | 0.3% | 3.2 | -13.4% | T |
| 10 | OKLO | 79.8 | 22.5% | 0.5% | 3.1 | -4.3% | T |
| 11 | SMR | 79.3 | 22.4% | 0.5% | 1.9 | -6.0% | T |
| 12 | NBIS | 79.3 | 20.5% | 0.3% | 2.9 | -5.4% | T |
| 13 | BIRD | 79.3 | 15.8% | 10.5% | 2.0 | -17.5% | T |
| 14 | CLSK | 78.7 | 31.9% | 0.4% | 4.5 | -15.1% | T |
| 15 | IREN | 75.3 | 24.0% | 0.4% | 2.2 | -12.2% |
*Source: Tapeboard composite squeeze model, October 8, 2026. Seven factors z-scored vs a ~500-stock universe. Short interest per FINRA settlement schedule; borrow fees from broker-dealer stock-loan data; short-volume from FINRA Consolidated NMS. Not investment advice.*
What Drove Today's Rankings
Across the top ten, the common thread is elevated short interest against float with borrow fees still near standard rates: FCEL, RXRX, TE, and WULF all sit above 31% SI, yet none charges more than 1.7% annualized to borrow. The outlier is HUT at rank 4, which carries the lowest SI in the top five at 16.2% and a 0.3% fee, held up instead by its threshold flag and balanced factor profile. Because short interest carries the largest weight at 35%, the board skews toward high-SI names even when fee pressure is absent.
Top 5 Names
1. FCEL — Squeeze Score 95.9/100
FCEL tops the board on 32.7% short interest against float, the fourth-highest SI reading in today's 25-name set. It is also on the FINRA threshold, meaning short-side volume ran at or above half of recent volume over the last seven trading days. Its 0.4% borrow fee was unchanged over five days, and its +4.1% five-day momentum is one of only three positive readings in the top ten.
2. PRME — Squeeze Score 94.8/100
PRME combines 27.9% short interest with the longest days-to-cover in the top five at 7.1 days. Its +19.7% five-day momentum is the strongest on the entire board, and its borrow fee rose 0.05 percentage points over the week to 0.4%. PRME also carries the FINRA threshold flag.
3. TWST — Squeeze Score 92.3/100
TWST ranks third on 22.6% short interest and 4.0 days to cover, despite the weakest momentum in the top five at -19.1% over five days. Its borrow fee of 0.3% actually fell 0.03 percentage points over the week. TWST is the highest-ranked name today without the FINRA threshold flag.
4. HUT — Squeeze Score 91.2/100
HUT reaches rank 4 with the lowest short interest in the top five at 16.2% of float and a 0.3% borrow fee. Its five-day fee-change component was unavailable, so the score reweighted across the remaining factors. HUT holds the FINRA threshold flag, and its -7.8% five-day momentum sits mid-pack for the top ten.
5. CIFR — Squeeze Score 89.0/100
CIFR posts 21.2% short interest with the shortest days-to-cover in the top five at 2.1 days, meaning shorts could exit relatively quickly at recent volume. Its borrow fee of 0.4% edged up 0.005 percentage points over five days. CIFR is not on the FINRA threshold list, and its -12.7% five-day momentum is among the weaker readings on the board.
Factor Breakdown: How the Score Is Built
The composite weights short interest as a percentage of float at 35% (per FINRA settlement data), borrow fee at 25%, float utilization at 20%, days to cover at 15%, and five-day price momentum at 5%, with each factor z-scored against a ~500-stock universe before weighting. Source data comes from FINRA, the SEC, and the NYSE and NASDAQ exchanges. Full detail is in the methodology.
Frequently Asked Questions
What are the top short-squeeze candidates today?
By composite squeeze score on October 8, 2026, the top three are FCEL (95.9/100, 32.7% SI, 0.4% borrow fee), PRME (94.8/100, 27.9% SI, 0.4% fee), and TWST (92.3/100, 22.6% SI, 0.3% fee). This ranks multi-factor squeeze pressure, not raw short interest alone.
How does Tapeboard calculate its squeeze score?
Each of the seven factors is z-scored against a live ~500-stock universe, then combined with fixed weights: 35% SI% of float, 25% borrow fee, 20% float utilization, 15% days to cover, and 5% five-day momentum, with the threshold and fee-change components folded into the composite. The result is rescaled to a 0-100 score.
When does short-interest data update?
Short interest is published per the FINRA settlement schedule and lags roughly two weeks, so today's SI figures reflect the most recent settlement date, not this week's positioning. Borrow fees, by contrast, update on a next-day basis from stock-loan markets.
Data and Methodology
- Squeeze score: Tapeboard composite, recomputed nightly.
- Short interest: FINRA, approximately two-week settlement lag.
- Borrow fee: broker-dealer stock-loan data, daily.
- Short-volume threshold: FINRA Consolidated NMS, daily.
- Momentum: end-of-day prices.
See today's highest borrow fees for the hard-to-borrow ranking, the full daily archive for past records, or the live squeeze leaderboard for tomorrow's update.
What Changed vs the Previous Record
RXRX drops out of the top 5 (was rank 3, score 95). SDGR drops out of the top 5 (was rank 5, score 93.2).
This record 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.