US companies set to cash in on Europe’s low loan rates

US companies are forecast to cross the Atlantic to raise funds in euro at the fastest pace in at least eight years as borrowing costs in Europe fall below dollar rates by the most in a decade.

Apple, Verizon Communications and Albemarle led €68bn ($83bn) of bond issuance by American borrowers this year, the busiest since 2007 and 45% higher than 2013, according to data compiled by Bloomberg.

This number will be surpassed next year as depressed funding costs endure, according to Barnaby Martin, a credit strategist at Bank of America Merrill Lynch, and Jens Vanbrabant, the lead money manager at London-based ECM Asset Management Ltd.