Companies Sell Loans at Fastest Pace as Carlyle Leads M&A Surge

Speculative-grade companies are raising leveraged loans at the fastest pace this year to pay for acquisitions and buyouts led by Carlyle Group as prices of the debt climb to a four-month high.

NBTY Inc., the maker of Nature’s Bounty nutritional supplements that Carlyle is taking private, and plastic-container maker Graham Packaging Co. cut the interest margin on loans for acquisitions and accelerated lender response deadlines this week. The S&P/LSTA US Leveraged Loan 100 Index rose 0.24 cent to 89.81 cents on the dollar, the highest since May 19.