Highest Borrow-Fee Stocks Today: October 20, 2026 — Hard-to-Borrow Rates
JZ carries the highest borrow fee at 786.9% annualized on October 20, 2026, with 14 names in the hard-to-borrow or extreme tier across the market-wide ranking.
TL;DR: As of 10:50 PM ET on October 20, 2026, JZ carries the highest borrow fee in Tapeboard's market-wide ranking at 786.9% annualized. EZGO ranks second at 172.5% annualized, and TOPS ranks third at 91.5% annualized as of October 20, 2026.
The costliest name to borrow on a market-wide basis is JZ at 786.9% annualized as of October 20, 2026. Fees on today's list span 2.7% to 786.9% annualized; the median is 13.3%. Ultra-high rates in the triple-digit range typically flag distressed or nearly un-locatable names rather than conventional squeeze setups. The annualized borrow fee is the stock-loan cost a short seller pays to borrow shares, and it is weighted at 25% in Tapeboard's composite squeeze score alongside short interest and price momentum.
Today's Hard-to-Borrow Rate Table
| Rank | Symbol | Annualized Borrow Fee | Rebate Rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | JZ | 786.9% | −783.1% |
| 2 | EZGO | 172.5% | −168.6% |
| 3 | TOPS | 91.5% | −87.6% |
| 4 | PARA | 32.8% | −28.9% |
| 5 | ZEO | 26.0% | −22.1% |
| 6 | WKHS | 25.9% | −22.1% |
| 7 | BYND | 25.2% | −21.3% |
| 8 | FNGR | 23.9% | −20.0% |
| 9 | OPTT | 21.0% | −17.1% |
| 10 | LCID | 20.8% | −16.9% |
| 11 | SES | 20.7% | −16.8% |
| 12 | GRRR | 15.7% | −11.8% |
| 13 | OPAD | 13.3% | −9.4% |
| 14 | ATER | 12.6% | −8.7% |
| 15 | EVTL | 9.4% | −5.5% |
| 16 | SPWR | 6.1% | −2.2% |
| 17 | OCGN | 5.8% | −1.9% |
| 18 | AISP | 5.1% | −1.2% |
| 19 | CRMT | 5.1% | −1.2% |
| 20 | IMPP | 3.4% | 0.5% |
| 21 | CHPT | 3.3% | 0.6% |
| 22 | HIVE | 3.1% | 0.8% |
| 23 | RUM | 3.0% | 0.9% |
| 24 | WB | 2.8% | 1.1% |
| 25 | FUBO | 2.7% | 1.2% |
*Source: securities-lending rates as compiled by Tapeboard, October 20, 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 20, 2026, 14 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 to borrow shares. A high fee reflects scarcity in the lendable pool, meaning shares are difficult to locate. 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. Borrow fee is weighted 25% in Tapeboard's composite squeeze score. See the methodology for details.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which stocks have the highest borrow fees today?
JZ leads at 786.9% annualized as of October 20, 2026, followed by EZGO at 172.5% annualized and TOPS at 91.5% 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 data comes from broker-dealer stock-loan data, updated daily each evening across the market-wide universe. Rebate rate data comes 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 (786.9482% annualized) — new to the leader board. EZGO borrow fee moved from 138.5% to 172.4988% annualized since the previous record. WKHS drops out of the top 5 (was rank 5, 26.1% 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.