Businesses to Lock In Lower Rates

Many companies are jumping on lower interest rates to refinance debt sooner rather than later, choosing not to wait for the possibility of further declines as markets become more difficult to read.

- By Mark Maurer AND JENNIFER WILLIAMS

Businesses typically replace old debt with new to pay a lower interest rate, change terms or consolidate debt. The corporate bond market is particularly strong as credit spreads, or the extra yield investors demand to hold them instead of U.S. Tre