Highest Borrow-Fee Stocks Today: October 16, 2026 — Hard-to-Borrow Rates
BIAF carries the highest borrow fee in Tapeboard's market-wide ranking at 346.1% annualized as of October 16, 2026, with 10 names in the hard-to-borrow or extreme tier.
TL;DR: As of 10:50 PM ET on October 16, 2026, BIAF carries the highest borrow fee in Tapeboard's market-wide ranking at 346.1% annualized. XPON ranks second at 117.7% annualized, and CETX ranks third at 35.7% annualized.
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The costliest name to borrow on a market-wide basis is BIAF at 346.1% annualized as of October 16, 2026. Fees on today's list span 1.5% to 346.1% annualized; the median is 6.1%. Ultra-high rates in the triple-digit range typically flag distressed or nearly un-locatable names rather than conventional squeeze setups. A borrow fee is the annualized cost a short seller pays to borrow shares.
Today's Hard-to-Borrow Rate Table
| Rank | Symbol | Annualized Borrow Fee | Rebate Rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | BIAF | 346.1% | −342.3% |
| 2 | XPON | 117.7% | −113.8% |
| 3 | CETX | 35.7% | −31.8% |
| 4 | FNGR | 29.2% | −25.3% |
| 5 | BYND | 25.3% | −21.4% |
| 6 | OPTT | 21.5% | −17.6% |
| 7 | SES | 20.9% | −17.0% |
| 8 | GRRR | 14.5% | −10.6% |
| 9 | ATER | 13.9% | −10.0% |
| 10 | BIRD | 10.3% | −6.4% |
| 11 | VVOS | 8.5% | −4.6% |
| 12 | LCID | 8.1% | −4.2% |
| 13 | EVTL | 6.1% | −2.2% |
| 14 | SPWR | 6.0% | −2.1% |
| 15 | OCGN | 5.7% | −1.8% |
| 16 | ACB | 4.1% | −0.2% |
| 17 | BMBL | 3.9% | 0.0% |
| 18 | CHPT | 3.8% | 0.1% |
| 19 | HIVE | 3.5% | 0.4% |
| 20 | RUM | 3.1% | 0.7% |
| 21 | USAR | 2.2% | 1.7% |
| 22 | EH | 2.1% | 1.8% |
| 23 | CSIQ | 2.0% | 1.9% |
| 24 | INO | 1.8% | 2.1% |
| 25 | OPAL | 1.5% | 2.4% |
*Source: securities-lending rates as compiled by Tapeboard, October 16, 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 16, 2026, 10 names on today's market-wide list fell in the hard-to-borrow or extreme tier.
What a High Borrow Fee Signals
An annualized borrow fee is the stock-loan cost a short seller pays, and a high fee reflects scarcity in the lendable pool. It does NOT by itself predict a short 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, and borrow fee is weighted 25% in Tapeboard's composite squeeze score. Reviewing your borrow-fee readings alongside your own short interest tracking is easier with a structured trading journal, such as Edgewonk. See the methodology.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which stocks have the highest borrow fees today?
BIAF leads at 346.1% annualized as of October 16, 2026, followed by XPON at 117.7% annualized and CETX at 35.7% annualized.
What is considered a high stock borrow fee?
Tapeboard categorizes annualized borrow fees as normal (under 2%), elevated (2-10%), hard-to-borrow (10-50%), and extreme (above 50%).
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, not real-time intraday, and may differ from rates at other brokers.
Data and Methodology
Borrow fee figures are broker-dealer stock-loan data, updated daily each evening across the market-wide universe. Rebate rates are 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
BIAF enters the top 5 at rank 1 (346.137% annualized) — new to the leader board. XPON enters the top 5 at rank 2 (117.7123% annualized) — new to the leader board. FNGR enters the top 5 at rank 4 (29.198% annualized) — new to the leader board. JZ drops out of the top 5 (was rank 1, 525% annualized). EZGO drops out of the top 5 (was rank 2, 155.9% annualized). TGL drops out of the top 5 (was rank 3, 128.5% 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.