Top Short-Squeeze Candidates Today: October 12, 2026
FCEL leads the October 12, 2026 squeeze leaderboard with a 95.7 composite score, on a day when heavy short-side volume put 13 of the top 15 names on the FINRA threshold list.
TL;DR: As of market close on October 12, 2026, FCEL leads Tapeboard's short squeeze leaderboard with a score of 95.7/100, driven by 32.1% short interest and a 0.4% annualized borrow fee.
Tapeboard's daily squeeze scan ranked 25 stocks by composite score on October 12, 2026, scoring the names that clear a short-interest gate of at least 15% of float on 20-day volatility (single largest daily move excluded), 5-day float rotation and last-session relative volume, each as a percentile of the gated set. The dominant pattern today is short-side volume concentration: 13 of the top 15 names sit on the FINRA threshold list, and nearly every leader is carrying negative five-day momentum. This is a composite short squeeze score ranking, not a raw short-interest ranking.
Today's October 12, 2026 Squeeze Score Leaderboard
| Rank | Symbol | Squeeze Score | SI % Float | Borrow Fee | Days to Cover | Mom 5d | T |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | FCEL | 95.7 | 32.1% | 0.4% | 3.8 | -9.4% | T |
| 2 | NVAX | 90.3 | 32.3% | 0.4% | 5.6 | +0.8% | T |
| 3 | TWST | 88.4 | 19.1% | 0.3% | 3.2 | -25.9% | T |
| 4 | RXRX | 88.2 | 30.8% | 0.5% | 5.2 | -16.1% | T |
| 5 | ASTS | 87.7 | 24.3% | 0.7% | 4.5 | -11.9% | T |
| 6 | PRME | 84.9 | 27.9% | 0.4% | 6.6 | +12.5% | T |
| 7 | SMR | 84.3 | 22.5% | 0.4% | 2.1 | -12.8% | T |
| 8 | TE | 79.3 | 39.6% | 1.9% | 4.1 | -13.2% | |
| 9 | SDGR | 79.3 | 17.6% | 0.3% | 2.9 | -20.5% | T |
| 10 | OKLO | 78.5 | 21.9% | 0.5% | 3.3 | -10.5% | T |
| 11 | NBIS | 77.8 | 19.5% | 0.3% | 2.8 | -9.7% | T |
| 12 | IREN | 77.6 | 23.6% | 0.4% | 2.1 | -14.0% | |
| 13 | CHPT | 76.1 | 19.5% | 3.8% | 4.0 | -19.1% | T |
| 14 | GRRR | 75.9 | 19.5% | 14.3% | 6.7 | -17.8% | T |
| 15 | HUT | 75.5 | 18.5% | 0.3% | 3.8 | -4.5% | T |
*Source: Tapeboard composite squeeze model, October 12, 2026. Names gated at 15%+ short interest, scored on volatility, float rotation and relative volume percentiles. 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 10, the common signal is crowded short positioning confirmed by short-side volume: every top-10 name except TE is on the FINRA threshold list, and short interest runs from 19.1% to 39.6% of float. The outlier is TWST at rank 3, which carries the joint-lowest borrow fee in the top 10 at 0.3% annualized and instead scores on 19.1% SI, 3.2 days to cover, and a -25.9% five-day momentum print. Because SI % float carries the largest weight at 35%, names like FCEL (32.1%) and NVAX (32.3%) hold the top two slots despite modest borrow costs.
Top 5 Names
1. FCEL — Squeeze Score 95.7/100
FCEL's primary driver is short interest at 32.1% of float, one of the highest readings on today's board, against a 0.4% annualized borrow fee. The secondary signal is the FINRA threshold flag, confirming that more than half of recent volume has traded short-side over the last seven trading days. Days to cover stands at 3.8, and the five-day fee change is flat at 0.0 percentage points.
2. NVAX — Squeeze Score 90.3/100
NVAX pairs the board's highest top-five short interest at 32.3% of float with 5.6 days to cover, the longest cover window in the top five. Its borrow fee sits at 0.4% annualized and has risen 0.09 percentage points over five days. NVAX is on the FINRA threshold list, and unlike most of today's leaders its five-day momentum is positive at +0.8%.
3. TWST — Squeeze Score 88.4/100
TWST's score is carried by price and volume components rather than loan cost: its borrow fee is 0.3% annualized, the joint-lowest in the top 10, while five-day momentum is -25.9%, the deepest decline in the top five. Short interest is 19.1% of float with 3.2 days to cover, and the name is flagged on the FINRA threshold list.
4. RXRX — Squeeze Score 88.2/100
RXRX combines 30.8% short interest with a 0.5% annualized borrow fee that has climbed 1.18 percentage points over the last five trading days, the largest fee increase in the top five. Days to cover is 5.2, five-day momentum is -16.1%, and the stock is on the FINRA threshold list, marking sustained short-side volume dominance.
5. ASTS — Squeeze Score 87.7/100
ASTS posts the highest borrow fee in the top five at 0.7% annualized, though that fee has fallen 8.71 percentage points over five days, the steepest decline among today's leaders. Short interest is 24.3% of float with 4.5 days to cover and -11.9% five-day momentum. ASTS carries the FINRA threshold flag.
Factor Breakdown: How the Score Is Built
Tapeboard's Short Squeeze Score (setup v6, since 2026-10-07) gates on short interest of at least 15% of float (FINRA settlement, point-in-time and split-safe), then ranks gated names 0-100 on 20-day volatility with the single largest daily move excluded (60%), 5-day float rotation (20%) and last-session relative volume (20%), each as a percentile among the gated names. A higher score means higher historical odds of a large move in either direction; it is not a directional call. Borrow fee, days to cover and the short-volume ratio are shown for context at zero weight. Data are sourced from FINRA, the SEC, and the NYSE and NASDAQ exchanges. Read the full methodology.
Frequently Asked Questions
What are the top short-squeeze candidates today?
As of October 12, 2026, the top three by composite squeeze score are FCEL at 95.7 (32.1% SI, 0.4% borrow fee), NVAX at 90.3 (32.3% SI, 0.4% borrow fee), and TWST at 88.4 (19.1% SI, 0.3% borrow fee). All three are on the FINRA threshold list.
How does Tapeboard calculate its squeeze score?
The score gates on short interest of at least 15% of float (FINRA settlement, point-in-time), then ranks gated names 0-100 on 20-day volatility with the single largest daily move excluded (60%), 5-day float rotation (20%) and last-session relative volume (20%), each as a percentile among the gated names. Borrow fee, days to cover and the short-volume ratio are shown for context at zero weight. The full formula, the gate and the calibrated odds are published at the methodology page.
When does short-interest data update?
Short interest lags roughly two weeks because it follows the FINRA settlement schedule. Borrow fees update next-day from stock-loan data, so the fee component reflects more current positioning than the SI component.
Data and Methodology
- Squeeze score: Tapeboard composite, recomputed nightly.
- Short interest: FINRA, ~2-week settlement lag.
- Borrow fee: broker-dealer stock-loan data, daily.
- Short-volume threshold: FINRA Consolidated NMS, daily.
- Momentum: end-of-day.
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
PRME drops out of the top 5 (was rank 1, score 96.6).
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.