Stats Active, passive and flows Securities lending

91% of borrowed stock costs 17 basis points a year

SegmentCost to borrow, a year
All stocks0.24%
General collateral0.17%
Specials4.69%
Negative rebate19.0%

The distribution is bimodal. Almost everything costs nothing and a small minority costs a great deal. Source: D'Avolio, Journal of Financial Economics, sample April 2000 to September 2001.

Short selling requires borrowing a share first, and long term holders supply it for a fee. In the canonical study 91% of stock on loan was easy to find, at 17 basis points a year. The 8.7% classified as special averaged 4.69% a year.

17 bpGeneral collateral fee
4.69%Specials, average fee
8.7%Share classed as special
$15.3bn2025 lending revenue

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