On: Corporate debt nears a record $10T, and borrowing ...

[ptah]

there is a vast difference between using profits to buy back shares and using debt to buy back shares

[frockington1 → ptah]

With interest rates so low you might as well use debt. With high corporate tax rates, repatriating cash is expensive. Might as well use cheap debt while you can

[aguyfromnb → ptah]

>there is a vast difference between using profits to buy back shares and using debt to buy back shares

There is zero difference. It's all money in a pool of corporate capital that is either growing (or shrinking some if you're paying interest).

If you can do borrow money at negative rates and buy back shares, why wouldn't you?