Highest Borrow-Fee Stocks Today: October 12, 2026 — Hard-to-Borrow Rates
EZGO carries the highest borrow fee in Tapeboard's market-wide ranking at 176.2% annualized as of October 12, 2026, with 14 names in the hard-to-borrow or extreme tier.
TL;DR: As of 10:50 PM ET on October 12, 2026, EZGO carries the highest borrow fee in Tapeboard's market-wide ranking at 176.2% annualized. The next two names are TOPS at 134.7% and XPON at 129.7% annualized as of October 12, 2026.
The costliest name to borrow on a market-wide basis is EZGO at 176.2% annualized as of October 12, 2026. Fees on today's list span 2.6% to 176.2% annualized; the median is 14.1%. Some market-wide context matters here: triple-digit rates in a market-wide ranking typically flag distressed names, very-low-float stocks, recent IPOs, or post-reverse-split situations where shares are nearly impossible to locate in the lending pool. A high borrow fee is a cost-to-short signal, not an automatic short squeeze setup.
Today's Hard-to-Borrow Rate Table
| Rank | Symbol | Annualized Borrow Fee | Rebate Rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | EZGO | 176.2% | −172.4% |
| 2 | TOPS | 134.7% | −130.8% |
| 3 | XPON | 129.7% | −125.8% |
| 4 | ZEO | 74.7% | −70.8% |
| 5 | PARA | 53.5% | −49.6% |
| 6 | CETX | 41.2% | −37.4% |
| 7 | SES | 40.9% | −37.0% |
| 8 | KITT | 31.0% | −27.1% |
| 9 | WKHS | 29.9% | −26.0% |
| 10 | BYND | 27.5% | −23.6% |
| 11 | OPTT | 24.6% | −20.7% |
| 12 | GRRR | 14.3% | −10.4% |
| 13 | ATER | 14.1% | −10.3% |
| 14 | OPAD | 13.3% | −9.4% |
| 15 | LCID | 6.6% | −2.7% |
| 16 | SPWR | 6.2% | −2.3% |
| 17 | AISP | 5.7% | −1.8% |
| 18 | CRMT | 4.6% | −0.7% |
| 19 | ACB | 4.2% | −0.3% |
| 20 | CHPT | 3.8% | 0.1% |
| 21 | IMPP | 3.4% | 0.5% |
| 22 | RUM | 3.2% | 0.7% |
| 23 | HIVE | 3.1% | 0.8% |
| 24 | FUBO | 2.7% | 1.2% |
| 25 | EVTL | 2.6% | 1.3% |
*Source: securities-lending rates as compiled by Tapeboard, October 12, 2026 10:50 PM ET. Market-wide ranking across all 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 October 12, 2026, 14 names on today's market-wide list fell in the hard-to-borrow or extreme tier. The extreme tier (above 50%) holds five names today: EZGO, TOPS, XPON, ZEO, and PARA, all as of October 12, 2026.
What a High Borrow Fee Signals
An annualized borrow fee is the stock-loan cost a short seller pays to maintain a short position. A high fee reflects scarcity in the lendable pool: when few shares are available to borrow, lenders charge more. 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. That is why the borrow fee is weighted 25% in Tapeboard's composite squeeze score, which also factors in short interest, price momentum, and volume. See the methodology for the full breakdown.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which stocks have the highest borrow fees today?
As of October 12, 2026, the three costliest names to borrow are EZGO at 176.2%, TOPS at 134.7%, and XPON at 129.7% annualized. All three sit deep in Tapeboard's extreme tier (above 50%).
What is considered a high stock borrow fee?
Tapeboard's tiers define fees under 2% as normal, 2-10% as elevated, 10-50% as hard-to-borrow, and above 50% as extreme. Anything in the hard-to-borrow tier or higher represents a meaningful annualized cost to hold a short position.
Where do these borrow rates come from?
Tapeboard compiles stock-loan 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.
Data and Methodology
The borrow fee figures in this record come from broker-dealer stock-loan data, updated daily each evening, covering the full market universe. The rebate rate is drawn from securities-lending data where available; a negative rebate means the borrower pays an additional cost on top of the quoted fee. Regulatory context for short-sale and lending data is published by FINRA, the SEC, and the exchanges. See the Short Squeeze Score ranking, the full daily archive, or the hard-to-borrow leaderboard for the live pillar.
What Changed vs the Previous Record
Compared with the previous record, EZGO enters the top 5 at rank 1 (176.2386% annualized), new to the leader board. ZEO enters the top 5 at rank 4 (74.6576% annualized), also new to the leader board. BIAF drops out of the top 5, having previously held rank 1 at 372.5% annualized. OFAL drops out of the top 5, having previously held rank 2 at 171.1% annualized. VIVK drops out of the top 5, having previously held rank 5 at 77.4% annualized.
This record is for educational and informational purposes only and is not investment advice. Borrow fees reflect securities-lending conditions reported in daily securities-lending 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.