Warren Buffett’s Berkshire Hathaway is taking a trip across the Atlantic to take advantage of the exceptionally low borrowing costs available to highly rated bond issuers in Europe.

The Sage of Omaha, not known for borrowing in European markets, has hired banks including Deutsche Bank, Goldman Sachs and Bank of America Merrill Lynch for a potential eurobond offering, according to people with knowledge of his thinking. This is part of a trend for US companies to take advantage of huge demand and high prices for euro-denominated bonds that has gathered steam ahead of the European Central Bank launching its bond-buying monetary stimulus this month.

While his natural impulse for a good deal takes Mr Buffett to Europe, a less remarked upon feature of his career is a savvy approach to taxes. Berkshire’s total deferred tax for the end of 2014 is more than five times the level of a decade ago.