How can I find out if IB has stock available to short?
From IB’s home page at www.interactivebrokers.com select the Trading menu and click on Shortable Stocks. From this page you can click on the link which corresponds to the country in which the stock you are trying to short trades. The stocks are listed in alphabetical order. Find the stock in question, and check the availability status. It is also advisable for you to click on the other tabs on the Shortable Stocks page titled Special Information, Mechanics and Buy-In Procedures. These tabs contain significant and pertinent information on how the process works, and recent changes that have affected the hypothecation of shares in the trading industry.
The other option is to access information on short stock availability through Account Management. On the Account Management home page there is an icon that looks like a toolbox, and says Tools. After clicking on this icon, scroll down to the last tool which is Short Stock Availability (SLB). You can type in different symbols and search.
Be aware that short stock availability is a very fluid situation, constantly changing throughout each trading session. Because a stock is available now does not mean it will be available the next day, or even the hour or less. IB tries to maintain a short stock availability database, but it is not possible to have this tool update in real time.