The Globe and Mail reports in its Tuesday edition that BCE has raised $750-million in a snap financing. The Globe's Tim Kiladze writes that late Monday, the telco announced a bought deal to raise money for general corporate purposes and to help pay down debt. The common-share sale is BCE's first since 2002, when it raised $1.8-billion. BCE's stock continues to climb and its closing price of $58 on Monday is near its 52-week high set in October. By raising money at such a rich valuation, BCE can issue fewer shares than it would have had to at a lower price, which makes its dividend more affordable. The telco also issued the shares at a tight 1.6-per-cent discount to its closing price. Mr. Kiladze says investors continue to be surprised by new deals. Unexpectedly, National Bank of Canada raised $300-million earlier this fall after markets gyrated, forcing the lender to add an extra capital cushion to its balance sheet. BCE's financing was one of four non-resource deals to hit the Canadian market Monday, raising $1.15-billion in total. At the moment, BCE's net debt amounts to 2.6 times its earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization. The share sale will lower that to 2.5 times.