ALIBABA SEEKS TO RAISE BILLIONS IN IPOInvestors in the United States are preparing for the first public sale of stock in theChinese company Alibaba. The company sells goods { } linking buyers and sellers inthe huge Chinese online market. Alibaba is expected to { } its initial publicoffering, called an IPO, in September on the New York Stock Exchange.The total value of the company, based in Hangzhou, has been estimated at about $200 billion.Reports from Bloomberg News say Alibaba is offering investors a 12 percent { }of the company. That would mean the company could raise { } $20 billiondollars in the public stock sale.After the IPO, Alibaba could become one of the most { } technology companiesin the world. Apple, for example, has a market value of about $600 billion. Google is valuedat about $390 billion and Microsoft is worth about $370 billion.