Squeeze Score
// 0-100 composite of short-side pressure on a US-listed equity
The Tapeboard Short Squeeze Score is a 0-100 composite that ranks a US-listed equity's short-side pressure relative to the universe of shortable names. Higher scores indicate more crowded short positioning.
- Five-input composite: SI %-of-float (35%), borrow fee (25%), float utilization (20%), days to cover (15%), 5-day momentum (5%). Weights last calibrated 2024-11-15.
- Inputs route from FINRA bi-monthly short-interest reports, IBKR stock-loan inventory, and FINRA short-sale-volume data.
- A high squeeze score is a setup signal, not a forecast. The score measures crowdedness; it does not predict timing.
How it is calculated
Each input is z-scored against the same-day universe of shortable names so the composite is comparable across market regimes. The weights bias the score toward components with the slowest publication lag (SI is bi-monthly, borrow fee is daily) and the highest information value about positioning. Momentum is a small tilt to capture recent price compression. Calibration of the weights happens manually on a roughly quarterly cadence.
What traders use it for
- Filtering screeners to the short-side setup population. The /scanner/squeeze leaderboard surfaces the top 25 daily.
- Cross-checking a thesis on a specific name. A high score on a stock you already follow tells you the short side is crowded; pair with catalyst (earnings, filing) work.
- Building short-side risk dashboards. Tapeboard exposes the score on every /stocks/{T} page so portfolio risk management has a single number to track.
Worked example
Suppose $GME prints SI %-of-float of 21.4%, a borrow fee of 18.7%, float utilization of 92.1%, days to cover of 4.8, and 5-day momentum of +6.2%. Each input z-scores against the universe of shortable names; the GME composite lands in the top decile, mapping to a score of about 84 out of 100. As of 2026-05-02 16:00 ET. Score recomputes nightly after 9 PM ET when the borrow and utilization feeds settle.
Live data: /stocks/GME.
Common pitfalls
- Short interest publishes on a bi-monthly cadence with a roughly 10 business-day lag. The SI input is always at least a week stale. Borrow fee and utilization are daily so the composite is more current than SI alone.
- Squeeze score measures crowdedness, not timing. A score of 90 can persist for months without a squeeze.
- Weights are manually calibrated. The 35/25/20/15/5 weighting was last recalibrated 2024-11-15 and reflects judgment, not optimization. Tapeboard publishes the weights so a reader can disagree.
- The score is z-scored against the universe of shortable names. A new IPO with no borrow history is not in the universe and does not score until the borrow feed has at least 30 days of data.
Where this metric appears on Tapeboard
Squeeze score appears on every `/stocks/{T}` page (numeric + 0-100 bar), the /scanner/squeeze leaderboard (top 25 daily), the /short-squeeze-stocks landing, and as a screener filter on /scanner.
Tapeboard surfaces this metric as a first-class screening filter. See the comparison pages at all Bloomberg alternatives for how Tapeboard's squeeze score surface compares against Koyfin, Finviz, TradingView, and Unusual Whales.
Related terms
- Short Interest: FINRA short-interest reports settle bi-monthly with a publication lag of about 10 business days from the report date.
- Utilization (Lending): Daily-published, sourced from broker-dealer stock-loan books (Tapeboard uses IBKR).
- Days To Cover: Higher DTC means a slower unwind. Above 5 days is a meaningful liquidity constraint on short covering; above 10 is severe.
- Failures-To-Deliver (FTD): Bi-monthly SEC dataset, lag of about two weeks. Counts unsettled share volume per ticker per day.
Primary sources cited
- FINRA Short Interest Reporting: Short-interest %-of-float is sourced from the FINRA bi-monthly short-interest report. https://www.finra.org/finra-data/short-interest, retrieved 2026-05-04.
- FINRA short-sale-volume documentation: Float utilization and borrow-fee inputs route from FINRA short-sale data and IBKR stock-loan inventory. https://www.finra.org/finra-data/short-sale-volume-data, retrieved 2026-05-04.
Methodology last reviewed 2026-05-04 by Marcus Reilly, Editor at Tapeboard. Every claim on this page has a row in the citation registry. Glossary terms reverify on the Jan 15 / Apr 15 / Jul 15 / Oct 15 cron and any time the underlying primary-source publishes a methodology change. See methodology for the full fact-check process and corrections for the public correction log.
Disclaimer. This page is for educational and informational purposes only. Nothing on Tapeboard is investment advice. See the full risk disclaimer.