Dell is peddling a cool US$3.25 billion (A$4.9 billion) of junk-rated bonds in a bid to help fund its acquisition of EMC.

Having sold $20 billion of investment-grade secured bonds last month and $5 billion of institutional loans last week, Dell is closing in on the EMC purchase.

As with the other bonds and loans, the unsecured bonds are generating strong interest from investors, who have expressed concerns about the long-term prospects of Dell’s computer-hardware business.

Led by JP Morgan Chase, the unsecured bonds are split between a five-year tranche offered with a yield of around 6.25 percent and an eight-year bond offered with a yield of roughly 7.5 percent