Sanofi became the first nonfinancial private company to issuedebt that yields less than zero as the busiest year forinvestment-grade corporate bond issuance resumes.

The French drugmaker sold 1 billion euros ($1.12 billion) ofthree-year notes at a yield of minus 0.05 percentage point,according to people with knowledge of the matter. German householdproducts maker Henkel may sell 500 million euros ($558 million) oftwo-year notes also at a yield of minus 0.05 percentage point, saidthe people, who asked not to be named because the deal isprivate.

The deals come amid a flurry of planned issuance in Europe andthe U.S. Glencore, the world's biggest coal exporter, is seeking toissue seven-year euro bonds to “refinance upcoming maturities atcompetitive levels,” a spokesman said on Tuesday. Home Depot isplanning a two-part debt sale for general corporate purposes.