(Photo Credit: AP Photo)

Morning Money Memo:

Alibaba's first public stock sale hasn't happened yet, but already it's a big deal for global financial markets. The hugely successful Chinese e-commerce company now plans to raise as much as $25 billion in its stock offering later this week, making it the biggest IPO in history. Alibaba has been meeting with potential investors in the past week, and demand led to an increase in the planned stock price.

Alibaba says it plans to sell about 368 million shares at $66 to $68 apiece, according to a regulatory filing. It had previously set the range for $60 to $66 apiece. Already, say analysts, there has been spillover effect. Because investors need to free up money to participate in the IPO, they may be selling shares of U.S. e-commerce companies. Amazon's share price has dropped 5 percent in past week. "EBay's share price also is under pressure of late," the website qz.com says.

One congressman is fighting to protect Yelpers when it does negative reviews. Rep. Eric Swalwell, D-Calif., is proposing legislation that would protect amateur reviewers nationwide from legal or financial retaliation.

Swalwell's bill was inspired by what happened to a couple in Utah after they posted a bad review, according to The National Journal. They were said to have been fined $3,500 for "unwittingly violating a retailer's terms-of-sale contract." The bill is similar to a new Yelp law in California that fines restaurants and other businesses that write "disparagement clauses" into their terms of service contracts, allowing them to charge reviewers with fees. "It's un-American for any consumer to be penalized for writing an honest review," Swalwell says.

Until now the Federal Reserve has reassured stock market investors, saying it will keep official short-term interest rates near zero for a "considerable time." But those two words might be dropped from the next Fed statement Wednesday. Policymakers begin a two-day meeting this morning. Markets are on edge. The Fed begins a two-day meeting today. Stock futures are down this morning. The averages closed mixed Monday.

Russia's currency has dropped to an all-time low against the U.S. dollar as it continues to suffer from the fallout of economic sanctions. The United States and the European Union last week imposed a new round of sanctions against Russia for its actions in Ukraine despite the ceasefire between the Ukrainian government and pro-Russian rebels. The ruble has lost over 2.7 percent in just two days.

Believe it or not, there's a magazine for dog haters! OK, it's in German, but Kot and Koter ("Poops and Pooches" in English) sold out after its first print run. What began as a joke by several journalists now has a following. "The lead story is a satirical look at how to "Pimp Up Your Pooch," The Wall Street Journal reports. "Another article is about kitschy dog cemeteries." Germany has 80 million people and about 5 million dogs. The magazine's editor tells the Journal that there are two kinds of people in Germany: "One type loves dogs. Another type doesn't. These are my readers."

Richard Davies Business Correspondent ABC News Radio abcnews.com Twitter: daviesnow