AB InBev's Mega Bonds Just the Start of a Corporate-Debt Deluge

Anheuser-Busch InBev NV is moving closer to selling what could be a record amount of bonds to finance an acquisition, the first in a series of mega-deals slated to fund some $630 billion of takeovers that could weigh on corporate debt prices this year.

Companies will probably sell $280 billion of investment-grade corporate debt in 2016 to fund acquisitions globally, up from a record $258 billion last year, according to an estimate from Barclays Plc which excludes financial companies. After the beer deal, some of the year’s biggest debt offerings could come from Dell Inc., Anthem Inc. or Newell Rubbermaid Inc. to fund recently announced buyouts.