Google Set To List As Soon As Wednesday

NEW YORK, Aug 13 (AFP) - Google Inc.'s hotly anticipated share listing appears set to launch as early as Wednesday.
The Internet search engine said Monday it had asked regulators to give it authority to sell shares at 4 p.m. (2000 GMT) Tuesday, meaning they could possibly start trading when the Nasdaq opens Wednesday.
The Securities and Exchange Commission must declare Google's "registration statement" effective before shares can be sold to the public.
The registration statement sets out the details of the share issue and prospects for the company.
"Please be advised that Google and the underwriters have requested that the Securities and Exchange Commission declare the registration statement pertaining to Google's initial public offering of Class A common stock effective on Tuesday, August 17, 2004 at 4:00 p.m.," Google said in a statement Monday to potential investors.
Google said it may accept bids already received for the shares as early as one hour after the registration becomes effective.
In a statement to the SEC, Google said it planned to sell the shares to the public "as soon as practicable" after the registration statement becomes effective.
Shares can list on the market only after they have been sold to the public in the initial public offering (IPO).
Google's shares will trade based on the highest price achieved in an auction held Friday.
The Mountain View, California-based company expects to sell 25.7 million shares between 108 and 135 dollars per share, depending on the outcome of the bidding.
If the price reaches the upper estimate, its total stock market value could be more than 36 billion dollars, putting it on a par with its Internet rival Yahoo.
The IPO represents about nine percent of Google's capital.