Alibaba investors face lock-up battered but largely unbowed

By Jessica Toonkel NEW YORK (Reuters) - As Alibaba was preparing to sell shares to U.S. investors for the first time, Jerry Verseput tried to persuade his clients not to throw money at the giant China-based e-commerce company because he thinks IPOs are a gamble, especially those with a lot of hype. Alibaba opened on Sept. 19 at $92.70, ended its first day at $93.89 and reached its peak on November 13, when it hit $120. Alibaba, which already commands 80 percent of the Chinese market and handles