Top Short-Squeeze Candidates Today: October 9, 2026
PRME leads Tapeboard's October 9, 2026 squeeze leaderboard with a 96.6 composite score, on a board dominated by high-short-interest biotechnology names carrying heavy FINRA threshold-list concentration.
TL;DR: As of market close on October 9, 2026, PRME leads Tapeboard's short squeeze leaderboard with a score of 96.6/100, driven by its 27.9% short interest and a 0.4% annualized borrow fee.
Tapeboard's daily squeeze scan ranked 25 stocks by composite score on October 9, 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 on today's board is heavy short interest clustered in biotechnology, with eight of the top ten names carrying an active FINRA threshold flag. This is a composite short squeeze ranking, not a raw most-shorted list.
Today's October 9, 2026 Squeeze Score Leaderboard
| Rank | Symbol | Squeeze Score | SI % Float | Borrow Fee | Days to Cover | Mom 5d | T |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | PRME | 96.6 | 27.9% | 0.4% | 6.8 | +33.9% | T |
| 2 | RXRX | 96.1 | 34.8% | 0.5% | 6.0 | +5.8% | T |
| 3 | NVAX | 95.0 | 35.0% | 0.4% | 6.3 | +21.9% | T |
| 4 | TWST | 94.2 | 22.6% | 0.3% | 3.9 | -15.3% | T |
| 5 | FCEL | 93.3 | 32.7% | 0.4% | 3.9 | -2.4% | T |
| 6 | HUT | 87.3 | 16.2% | 0.3% | 3.2 | -6.0% | T |
| 7 | ASTS | 86.7 | 24.5% | 0.8% | 4.8 | -12.8% | T |
| 8 | IBRX | 83.4 | 30.8% | 0.5% | 8.6 | +2.2% | T |
| 9 | TE | 80.4 | 34.0% | 2.1% | 3.5 | -13.5% | |
| 10 | SDGR | 79.6 | 19.4% | 0.3% | 3.2 | -10.0% | T |
| 11 | IOVA | 78.9 | 22.1% | 0.3% | 4.4 | +2.8% | |
| 12 | ARCT | 77.8 | 20.9% | 0.4% | 6.6 | +5.4% | T |
| 13 | IREN | 75.5 | 24.0% | 0.4% | 2.2 | -15.7% | |
| 14 | SMR | 73.5 | 22.4% | 0.5% | 2.1 | -7.1% | T |
| 15 | GENI | 72.9 | 17.8% | 0.4% | 4.5 | +10.5% | T |
*Source: Tapeboard composite squeeze model, October 9, 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 ten, the dominant signal is elevated short interest paired with a threshold-list flag: eight of ten names sit on the FINRA Consolidated NMS threshold, and seven of ten show short interest above 20% of float. The outlier is TWST at rank 4, which carries the joint-lowest borrow fee in the top ten at 0.3% and is carried instead by its 22.6% SI% float and threshold status. Because short interest and borrow fee together anchor 60% of the composite weight, names strong on both, like RXRX at 34.8% SI, cluster at the top.
Top 5 Names
1. PRME — Squeeze Score 96.6/100
PRME's primary driver is momentum: its five-day price move of +33.9% is the strongest on the entire board, compounding a 27.9% short-interest base. Secondary signals reinforce the top rank, with 6.8 days to cover, a 0.4% annualized borrow fee that rose 0.03 percentage points over five sessions, and an active FINRA threshold flag indicating sustained short-side volume above the 50% mark over the last seven trading days.
2. RXRX — Squeeze Score 96.1/100
RXRX ranks second on the strength of its 34.8% short interest as a percentage of float, the third-highest reading on today's board, against a 0.5% borrow fee. Its secondary signal mix is balanced: 6.0 days to cover, a +5.8% five-day momentum reading, and an active threshold flag. Its borrow fee eased 0.09 percentage points over the last five trading days, the largest five-day fee decline among the top five names.
3. NVAX — Squeeze Score 95.0/100
NVAX posts the board's highest short interest at 35.0% of float, which is the primary driver of its 95.0 composite score alongside a 0.4% borrow fee. The secondary signal is momentum: NVAX gained +21.9% over five days, the second-strongest move on the board behind PRME. It carries an active FINRA threshold flag and 6.3 days to cover, while its borrow fee declined 0.04 percentage points over the last five sessions.
4. TWST — Squeeze Score 94.2/100
TWST's composite is driven by its 22.6% short interest and its threshold-list status, with short-side volume at or above half of recent volume over the last seven trading days. Its secondary profile is unusual for the top five: the borrow fee is just 0.3%, the joint-lowest in the top ten, and five-day momentum is -15.3%. TWST covers in 3.9 days at recent volume, with its fee down 0.02 percentage points over five sessions.
5. FCEL — Squeeze Score 93.3/100
FCEL's primary driver is short interest at 32.7% of float, the fourth-highest reading on the board, paired with a 0.4% annualized borrow fee. Its secondary signals include an active FINRA threshold flag and 3.9 days to cover. Five-day momentum stands at -2.4%, and its borrow fee was unchanged over the last five trading days, making it the only top-five name with a flat week-over-week fee change.
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 9, 2026, the top three by composite score are PRME (96.6, 27.9% SI, 0.4% borrow fee), RXRX (96.1, 34.8% SI, 0.5% fee), and NVAX (95.0, 35.0% SI, 0.4% fee). All three carry active FINRA threshold flags.
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 is published on the FINRA settlement schedule and lags roughly two weeks, so the SI% figures above reflect the most recent settlement report, not today's positions. Borrow fees update next-day from stock-loan data, making the fee columns the fresher read.
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
NVAX enters the top 5 at rank 3 (score 95), new to the leader board. HUT drops out of the top 5 (was rank 4, score 91.2). CIFR drops out of the top 5 (was rank 5, score 89).
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.