Highest Borrow-Fee Stocks Today: October 13, 2026 — Hard-to-Borrow Rates
JZ carries the costliest borrow fee in the market-wide ranking at 525% annualized as of October 13, 2026, with 19 names sitting in the hard-to-borrow or extreme tier.
TL;DR: As of 10:50 PM ET on October 13, 2026, JZ carries the highest borrow fee in Tapeboard's market-wide ranking at 525% annualized. BIAF follows at 390.7%, and BKYI is third at 370.6%.
The costliest name to borrow on a market-wide basis is JZ at 525% annualized as of October 13, 2026. Fees on today's list span 3.3% to 525% annualized; the median is 22.6%. The borrow fee is the annualized stock-loan cost a short seller pays to maintain a bearish position, and triple-digit readings typically flag distressed, very-low-float, post-reverse-split, or recently listed names where shares are nearly impossible to locate, rather than a conventional short squeeze setup. That distinction matters on a day like today, when the top of the board is dominated by three extreme-fee names.
Today's Hard-to-Borrow Rate Table
| Rank | Symbol | Annualized Borrow Fee | Rebate Rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | JZ | 525.0% | −521.2% |
| 2 | BIAF | 390.7% | −386.8% |
| 3 | BKYI | 370.6% | −366.7% |
| 4 | TOPS | 125.6% | −121.7% |
| 5 | XPON | 123.5% | −119.6% |
| 6 | PARA | 38.9% | −35.0% |
| 7 | CETX | 38.0% | −34.1% |
| 8 | WKHS | 33.2% | −29.3% |
| 9 | SES | 32.7% | −28.9% |
| 10 | FNGR | 31.2% | −27.3% |
| 11 | BYND | 25.7% | −21.8% |
| 12 | KITT | 24.0% | −20.2% |
| 13 | OPTT | 22.6% | −18.7% |
| 14 | GRRR | 14.5% | −10.6% |
| 15 | ATER | 14.0% | −10.1% |
| 16 | EVTL | 13.8% | −9.9% |
| 17 | OPAD | 13.4% | −9.6% |
| 18 | VVOS | 13.2% | −9.3% |
| 19 | BIRD | 10.7% | −6.8% |
| 20 | LCID | 6.7% | −2.8% |
| 21 | SPWR | 6.2% | −2.3% |
| 22 | AISP | 5.3% | −1.5% |
| 23 | CHPT | 4.1% | −0.2% |
| 24 | IMPP | 3.4% | 0.5% |
| 25 | HIVE | 3.3% | 0.5% |
*Source: securities-lending rates as compiled by Tapeboard, October 13, 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 13, 2026, 19 names on today's market-wide list fell in the hard-to-borrow or extreme tier. The three leaders, BIAF, BKYI, and JZ, all sit deep in the extreme band, and TOPS and XPON round out the triple-digit group as of October 13, 2026.
What a High Borrow Fee Signals
An annualized borrow fee is the stock-loan cost a short seller pays to keep a position open. 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 companies, very-low-float stocks, post-reverse-split names, or recent IPOs where shares are almost impossible to locate. High cost-to-short is not the same as squeeze potential. For that, 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 13, 2026, JZ leads the market-wide ranking at 525% annualized, followed by BIAF at 390.7% and BKYI at 370.6%. TOPS (125.6%) and XPON (123.5%) complete the triple-digit tier.
What is considered a high stock borrow fee?
Tapeboard defines annualized 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 meaningfully raises the carrying cost of 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. Rates are daily snapshots, not real-time intraday quotes, and may differ from rates at other brokers.
Data and Methodology
Borrow fee figures reflect broker-dealer stock-loan data, updated daily each evening on a market-wide basis, consistent with short-sale reporting frameworks overseen by FINRA, the SEC, and the exchanges. Rebate rates come from securities-lending data where available. 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
JZ enters the top 5 at rank 1 (525.0372% annualized), new to the leader board. BIAF enters the top 5 at rank 2 (390.6548% annualized), new to the leader board. BKYI enters the top 5 at rank 3 (370.5571% annualized), new to the leader board. EZGO drops out of the top 5 (was rank 1, 176.2% annualized). ZEO drops out of the top 5 (was rank 4, 74.7% annualized). PARA drops out of the top 5 (was rank 5, 53.5% 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.