Nydar's cost-to-borrow widget tracks hard-to-borrow stocks, short interest, and squeeze potential indicators
Nydar's Cost to Borrow widget surfaces up to 25 stocks ranked by borrow difficulty, tracking 5 metrics per entry — SI% of float, days to cover, borrow fee range, borrow difficulty rating, and a composite squeeze score from 0 to 100 that highlights stocks most vulnerable to a short squeeze.
Whether you are looking to short a stock and need to know the carrying cost, or hunting for squeeze candidates where short sellers are trapped, Nydar's borrow widget gives you the key borrow metrics in one place.
When you short a stock, you borrow shares from a broker and sell them, hoping to buy them back at a lower price. The broker charges an annualised fee for lending those shares — that is the cost to borrow (also called the borrow rate or stock loan fee).
Borrow costs are driven by supply and demand. When many traders want to short a stock but few shares are available to lend, the fee rises. Some hard-to-borrow names carry annualised fees of 50%, 100%, or even higher — meaning the stock needs to drop significantly just for the short position to break even after fees.
High borrow costs are a double-edged sword. For short sellers, they represent a significant headwind. For squeeze hunters using Nydar, they signal that shorts are under pressure and may be forced to cover if the price moves against them.
Academic references: D'Avolio, G. (2002). "The Market for Borrowing Stock." Journal of Financial Economics, 66(2-3), 271-306. Desai, H. et al. (2002). "An Investigation of the Informational Role of Short Interest." The Journal of Finance, 57(5), 2263-2287. Cohen, L., Diether, K.B. & Malloy, C.J. (2007). "Supply and Demand Shifts in the Shorting Market." The Journal of Finance, 62(5), 2061-2096.
Each entry in Nydar's cost-to-borrow widget shows a stock with its borrow metrics laid out in a compact card format. Here is how to interpret what you see.
Nydar's coloured badge next to each ticker indicates how hard the stock is to borrow. Red means "Very Hard", orange means "Hard", and yellow means "Moderate". The harder a stock is to borrow, the more likely short sellers are feeling the squeeze.
When Nydar's squeeze score reaches 40 or above, a flame icon appears with the score. Nydar intensifies the colour with the score: grey below 40, yellow at 40+, orange at 60+, and red at 80+. A score of 80+ means the stock has extreme squeeze characteristics — high short interest, many days to cover, and very difficult to borrow.
Short interest as a percentage of float tells you what proportion of available shares are currently sold short. An SI% above 20% is considered elevated. Above 30% is extreme and historically associated with violent squeezes when a catalyst appears.
SI% (Short Interest % of Float)
The percentage of freely tradable shares that are currently sold short. Higher values mean more traders are betting against the stock, increasing squeeze risk.
DTC (Days to Cover)
Short interest divided by average daily volume. Tells you how many trading days it would take all shorts to close their positions. A DTC above 5 means covering would take nearly a week at normal volume, creating sustained upward pressure.
Borrow Fee Range
The estimated annualised cost to borrow shares, shown as a range. Fees vary by broker and account size, so this represents the typical range across major brokers. Extremely high fees (50%+) indicate severe share scarcity.
Borrow Difficulty
A categorical rating — Very Hard, Hard, or Moderate — based on share availability and fee levels. "Very Hard" stocks may be impossible to borrow at some brokers entirely.
Squeeze Score (0-100)
A composite score combining SI%, DTC, and borrow difficulty into a single number. Higher scores indicate greater squeeze potential. Only shown when 40 or above.
Nydar's default view shows up to 25 stocks ranked by borrow difficulty. This is your screener for the most constrained names in the market right now.
When you select a stock in your Nydar dashboard, a second tab appears showing borrow data for that specific ticker. Only available for stocks — crypto and forex pairs do not have borrow data.
Screen for squeeze candidates in Nydar
Open Nydar's Hard to Borrow list and sort by squeeze score. Stocks with scores above 80 have the most extreme combination of high short interest, long days to cover, and scarce share availability.
Check Nydar before shorting
Before opening a short position, switch to Nydar's ticker view to see the borrow fee range. A stock with a 100% annualised borrow fee costs you roughly 0.27% per day just to hold the position — that adds up fast if the trade takes time to play out.
Combine with Nydar's other signals
A high squeeze score alone is not a buy signal. Cross-reference with Nydar's chart patterns, volume spikes, Nydar's options flow widget, and news catalysts. The best squeeze setups combine high borrow stress with a fundamental or technical catalyst that forces covering.
Monitor changes over time in Nydar
Borrow conditions change. When Nydar shows a stock moving from "Moderate" to "Very Hard" borrow difficulty, it suggests shorts are piling in and shares are drying up. Conversely, easing borrow conditions in Nydar may mean shorts are exiting — reducing squeeze potential.
High squeeze scores do not guarantee a squeeze. Many stocks sit on hard-to-borrow lists for months without squeezing. A squeeze requires a catalyst — positive earnings, an acquisition rumour, a viral social media post — to trigger the covering cascade. Without a catalyst, shorts can absorb the borrow cost indefinitely.
Borrow fees are estimates. Actual borrow fees vary by broker, account size, and real-time share availability. Nydar's ranges are indicative. Your broker may charge more or less than the displayed range, and fees can change intraday without notice.
Short interest data has a reporting lag. Official short interest is reported bimonthly by exchanges with a delay of several days. Nydar's figures are the latest available but may not reflect the most recent covering or new short positions opened today.
Stocks are hard to borrow for a reason. Companies on Nydar's hard-to-borrow list often have genuine fundamental problems — declining revenue, regulatory risk, or deteriorating balance sheets. Do not assume a heavily shorted stock is undervalued. Sometimes the shorts are right.
Short Interest Data
Exchange-reported short interest and float data, updated bimonthly with the latest available figures.
Borrow Availability
Share lending availability and estimated fee ranges aggregated from market data providers.
Nydar refreshes data on demand via the refresh button
| Feature | Cost to Borrow | Short Interest | Short Squeeze | FTD | Dark Pool |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Primary Focus | Borrow fees & availability | Short position levels | Squeeze probability | Settlement failures | Off-exchange volume |
| Key Metric | Annualised borrow fee | SI% of float | Squeeze score (0-100) | FTD share count | Dark pool % of volume |
| Updates | On demand | Bimonthly | On demand | Bimonthly (SEC) | Daily |
| View Modes | List + single ticker | Single ticker | Ranked list | Single ticker | Single ticker |
| Best Used For | Short cost analysis | Bearish sentiment | Squeeze hunting | Naked short detection | Institutional activity |
| Overlap | Includes SI% & DTC | Feeds into squeeze score | Uses borrow data | Signals delivery stress | Complements SI data |
| Cross-Reference With | Short Squeeze, Chart | Cost to Borrow, FTD | Options Flow, Chart | Short Interest, Dark Pool | FTD, Short Interest |
Last reviewed: March 2026