Highest Borrow-Fee Stocks Today: August 10, 2026 — Hard-to-Borrow Rates
GCTK leads the market-wide hard-to-borrow ranking at 364.6% annualized as of August 10, 2026, with 10 names in the hard-to-borrow or extreme tier.
TL;DR: As of 10:50 PM ET on August 10, 2026, GCTK carries the highest IBKR borrow fee in Tapeboard's market-wide ranking at 364.6% annualized. The #2 and #3 tickers are JZ at 120.3% and NXTC at 95.3%, both as of August 10, 2026.
Lede — The costliest name to borrow on a market-wide basis is GCTK at 364.6% annualized as of August 10, 2026. Fees on today's list span 1.9% to 364.6% annualized; the median is 5.7%. Ultra-high rates in the triple-digit range typically flag distressed or nearly un-locatable names rather than conventional short squeeze setups — a high borrow fee signals scarcity in the lending pool, but it does not by itself predict a squeeze.
Today's Hard-to-Borrow Rate Table
| Rank | Symbol | Annualized Borrow Fee | Rebate Rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | GCTK | 364.6% | −361.0% |
| 2 | JZ | 120.3% | −116.7% |
| 3 | NXTC | 95.3% | −91.7% |
| 4 | CETX | 46.2% | −42.6% |
| 5 | PHIO | 41.9% | −38.3% |
| 6 | WKHS | 25.7% | −22.1% |
| 7 | SOAR | 12.9% | −9.3% |
| 8 | LGVN | 12.3% | −8.7% |
| 9 | OPAD | 12.1% | −8.5% |
| 10 | CGC | 10.7% | −7.0% |
| 11 | BIRD | 9.4% | −5.8% |
| 12 | NRDY | 9.4% | −5.7% |
| 13 | CRMT | 5.7% | −2.0% |
| 14 | RUM | 5.3% | −1.7% |
| 15 | SOS | 5.0% | −1.4% |
| 16 | OXBR | 4.8% | −1.2% |
| 17 | ALPP | 4.8% | −1.1% |
| 18 | OPTT | 4.7% | −1.1% |
| 19 | CHPT | 4.7% | −1.0% |
| 20 | IMPP | 4.3% | −0.7% |
| 21 | INO | 3.7% | −0.0% |
| 22 | FUBO | 3.5% | 0.2% |
| 23 | OCGN | 3.1% | 0.6% |
| 24 | SPCE | 2.9% | 0.7% |
| 25 | MGNX | 1.9% | 1.8% |
*Source: IBKR Securities Lending rates as compiled by Tapeboard, August 10, 2026 10:50 PM ET. Market-wide ranking across all IBKR-tracked securities. Not investment advice.*
Borrow-Fee Tiers
Tapeboard categorizes annualized borrow fees as normal (under 2%), elevated (2-10%), hard-to-borrow (10-50%), and extreme (above 50%). On August 10, 2026, 10 names on today's market-wide list fell in the hard-to-borrow or extreme tier. The extreme tier (above 50%) includes GCTK, JZ, and NXTC — all carrying triple-digit fees that suggest shares are exceptionally scarce in the lendable pool. The hard-to-borrow tier (10-50%) adds CETX, PHIO, WKHS, SOAR, LGVN, OPAD, and CGC. Names in these tiers often face elevated short interest or restricted availability, but the fee itself is a cost signal, not a directional call.
What a High Borrow Fee Signals
An annualized borrow fee is the stock-loan cost a short seller pays; a high fee reflects scarcity in the lendable pool. It does NOT by itself predict a squeeze; names with triple-digit fees are often distressed, very-low-float, post-reverse-split, or recently IPO'd stocks where shares are almost impossible to locate — high cost-to-short is not the same as squeeze potential. Borrow fee is weighted 25% in Tapeboard's composite squeeze score. For a fuller picture, see the methodology.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which stocks have the highest borrow fees today?
As of August 10, 2026, the top three are GCTK at 364.6% annualized, JZ at 120.3%, and NXTC at 95.3%. These triple-digit rates place all three in the extreme tier, indicating severe scarcity in the lending pool.
What is considered a high stock borrow fee?
Tapeboard defines annualized borrow fees as normal (under 2%), elevated (2-10%), hard-to-borrow (10-50%), and extreme (above 50%). Fees above 10% are considered high; fees above 50% are extreme and typically accompany distressed or nearly un-locatable shares.
Where do these borrow rates come from?
Tapeboard compiles IBKR Securities Lending borrow fees daily and refreshes them each evening across the full market universe. These rates are daily snapshots, not real-time intraday figures, and may differ from rates quoted by other brokers due to timing and inventory differences.
Data and Methodology
- Borrow fee: IBKR Stock Loan Availability, updated daily each evening, market-wide.
- Rebate rate: IBKR Securities Lending data, where available.
See today's full squeeze analysis for the 7-factor composite ranking, or the hard-to-borrow leaderboard for the live pillar.
This post is for educational and informational purposes only and is not investment advice. Borrow fees reflect securities-lending conditions reported in IBKR's daily data; they are not real-time intraday rates and may differ from rates at other brokers. A high borrow fee does not constitute a buy or sell signal. Short selling carries unlimited downside risk. Editor: Marcus Reilly.