Highest Borrow-Fee Stocks Today: October 14, 2026 — Hard-to-Borrow Rates
JZ carries the highest borrow fee in the market-wide ranking at 525% annualized as of October 14, 2026, with 13 names in the hard-to-borrow or extreme tier.
TL;DR: As of 10:50 PM ET on October 14, 2026, JZ carries the highest borrow fee in Tapeboard's market-wide ranking at 525% annualized. The next costliest names are EZGO at 155.9% annualized and TGL at 128.5% annualized.
The costliest name to borrow on a market-wide basis is JZ at 525% annualized as of October 14, 2026. Fees on today's list span 1.1% to 525% annualized; the median is 13%. One important caveat for readers new to this data: a triple-digit borrow fee usually flags a distressed name, a very-low-float stock, a recent IPO, or a post-reverse-split issue where shares are nearly impossible to locate in the lending pool, rather than a conventional squeeze setup.
Today's Hard-to-Borrow Rate Table
| Rank | Symbol | Annualized Borrow Fee | Rebate Rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | JZ | 525.0% | −521.2% |
| 2 | EZGO | 155.9% | −152.0% |
| 3 | TGL | 128.5% | −124.6% |
| 4 | ZEO | 63.6% | −59.7% |
| 5 | PARA | 44.0% | −40.1% |
| 6 | CETX | 37.7% | −33.8% |
| 7 | BYND | 26.1% | −22.2% |
| 8 | KITT | 23.5% | −19.6% |
| 9 | OPTT | 20.0% | −16.1% |
| 10 | OPAD | 14.1% | −10.2% |
| 11 | ATER | 14.0% | −10.2% |
| 12 | GRRR | 14.0% | −10.1% |
| 13 | VVOS | 13.0% | −9.1% |
| 14 | SPWR | 6.1% | −2.2% |
| 15 | AISP | 5.3% | −1.4% |
| 16 | ACB | 4.5% | −0.6% |
| 17 | PLUG | 4.3% | −0.5% |
| 18 | CHPT | 4.0% | −0.2% |
| 19 | HIVE | 3.2% | 0.6% |
| 20 | RUM | 3.1% | 0.7% |
| 21 | WB | 3.0% | 0.9% |
| 22 | ASTS | 1.9% | 2.0% |
| 23 | BARK | 1.6% | 2.3% |
| 24 | USAR | 1.6% | 2.3% |
| 25 | GRPN | 1.1% | 2.8% |
*Source: securities-lending rates as compiled by Tapeboard, October 14, 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 14, 2026, 13 names on today's market-wide list fell in the hard-to-borrow or extreme tier. Four names sit in the extreme band: JZ, EZGO, TGL, and ZEO. The remaining nine hard-to-borrow names, from PARA through VVOS, carry fees between roughly 13% and 44% annualized as of October 14, 2026.
What a High Borrow Fee Signals
An annualized borrow fee is the stock-loan cost a short seller pays to keep a bearish position open. A high fee reflects scarcity in the lendable share pool, meaning brokers must pay up to source shares. It does not, by itself, predict a short squeeze. Names with triple-digit fees are often distressed companies, very-low-float issues, post-reverse-split stocks, or recent IPOs 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 at 25% in Tapeboard's composite squeeze score, which also incorporates short interest, price momentum, and volume. See the methodology for the full factor breakdown.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which stocks have the highest borrow fees today?
As of October 14, 2026, the three costliest names to borrow are JZ at 525% annualized, EZGO at 155.9% annualized, and TGL at 128.5% annualized. All three sit in Tapeboard's extreme tier, above 50% annualized.
What is considered a high stock borrow fee?
Tapeboard classifies annualized borrow fees as normal under 2%, elevated from 2% to 10%, hard-to-borrow from 10% to 50%, and extreme above 50%. Anything in the hard-to-borrow band or higher represents a meaningful carrying cost for short sellers.
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 figures, not real-time intraday quotes, and may differ from rates quoted by other brokers.
Data and Methodology
The annualized borrow fee is drawn from broker-dealer stock-loan data, updated daily each evening on a market-wide basis. The rebate rate reflects securities-lending data where available; a negative rebate means the borrower pays an additional cost on top of the stated fee. 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
EZGO enters the top 5 at rank 2 with a 155.9% annualized fee, new to the leaderboard. TGL enters the top 5 at rank 3 with a 128.5% annualized fee, new to the leaderboard. ZEO enters the top 5 at rank 4 with a 63.6% annualized fee, new to the leaderboard. BIAF drops out of the top 5 after holding rank 2 at 390.7% annualized. BKYI drops out of the top 5 after holding rank 3 at 370.6% annualized. TOPS drops out of the top 5 after holding rank 4 at 125.6% 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.