One of the largest ever sales of speculative-grade debt was completed with ease on Tuesday, a sign of the favorable environment for US borrowers at a time of robust economic growth and strong demand from investors.

The $13.5bn sale — which a Blackstone Group-led investor group is using to acquire a 55% stake in a Thomson Reuters data business called Refinitiv — comprised $9.25bn of loans and $4.25bn of secured and unsecured bonds, with different pieces denominated in US dollars and euros.