NEW YORK, Feb 10 (Reuters) - Short interest on ​the

Nasdaq rose 1.9% ‌in late January, ⁠the exchange said ⁠on Tuesday.

As ‌of ‌January 30, short interest ​rose to ‌19,189,674,532

shares, compared with 18,828,295,440 shares ​as ​of ‌January 15.

Investors who sell securities 'short' borrow shares ⁠and then

sell ⁠them, expecting the stock to fall so ⁠they ‌can buy ‌the

shares back at ⁠the lower price, return them to the lender and

pocket the difference.

Shorting can ​also be part of a ​hedging strategy.

(Reporting ‌by Caroline ​Valetkevitch)