Never mind

Standard & Poor’s upgraded Google’s stock to “hold,” reversing last week’s downgrade. Separately, S&P President Deven Sharma is stepping down by year-end. He’s being replaced by Citibank COO Douglas Peterson.

Lowe’s high

Lowe’s Cos. rose 1.1 percent, to $19.53, yesterday. The home improvement retailer said it will buy up to $5 billion of its stock.

IPO interrupt

Companies have withdrawn IPOs this month at a pace not seen since December 2008. Only four have dared go public during three weeks marked by wild price swings.

Crackdown

US prosecutors won a victory in their crackdown on offshore tax evasion when a federal appeals court said a former UBS client cannot assert his constitutional right against self-incrimination to avoid turning over his bank records.

McGraw-Hill

Bloomberg reported that McGraw-Hill Cos. met with shareholders pressing for a breakup of the company, citing a person familiar with the talks. .