Treasury auctions · 10-Year Note

10-year note auction of 12 November 2008 (new issue)

The 10-year note sold $23.554 billion at a high yield of 3.783% on , with a bid-to-cover ratio of 2.20.

High yield at each 10-year note auction

The last 36 auctions, this one last

High yield at each 10-year note auction, 9 Dec 2004 to 12 Nov 2008
High yield at each 10-year note auction, 13 Dec 2006 to 12 Nov 2008

Bid-to-cover ratio at each 10-year note auction

The last 36 auctions, this one last

Bid-to-cover ratio at each 10-year note auction, 9 Dec 2004 to 12 Nov 2008
Bid-to-cover ratio at each 10-year note auction, 13 Dec 2006 to 12 Nov 2008

Who bought the 10-year note of 12 Nov 2008

Shares of the competitive bids accepted

  • Indirect bidders 36.0%
  • Direct bidders 4.7%
  • Primary dealers 59.3%
This auction, 12 Nov 2008
  • Indirect bidders 38.2%
  • Direct bidders 0.7%
  • Primary dealers 61.1%
The 10-year note auction before, 9 Oct 2008

Each point is one 10-year note auction, this one last; pointing at the chart shows its date and figures.

Select a line to followLatest:

  • Indirect bidders36.0%
Inspect and compare dates
High yield and bid-to-cover of the last 36 10-year note auctions, newest first
AuctionHigh yield, %Bid-to-cover
3.7832.20
3.7902.31
3.2282.37
3.4402.11
3.3101.22
3.6282.51
4.0752.61
4.2252.33
3.9372.21
3.5101.79
3.6202.34
4.1642.23
4.3532.34
4.4932.95
4.8552.30
5.2302.55
4.6122.30
4.5232.64
4.7402.41
4.5802.48
4.6272.21
4.8102.91
4.9302.23
4.9752.73
5.1402.53
4.7602.87
4.5402.32
4.4902.19
4.5782.24
4.1342.68
4.3502.59
3.9902.50
4.2202.33
4.5042.35
4.0492.05
4.1502.68

Observed .

Right now

The high yield was 3.783% on 12 November 2008, down from 3.790% at the auction before.

Its own history

The direct bidders' share was higher than all 8 earlier 10-year note auctions we hold.

The primary dealers' share was lower than all 8 earlier 10-year note auctions we hold.

See every measure against earlier auctions

Who bought

Primary dealers took the largest share of the competitive bids accepted.

  • Indirect bidders 36.0%
  • Direct bidders 4.7%
  • Primary dealers 59.3%

Size

Treasury sold $23.554 billion of the $20 billion offered.

Bids received came to $47.561 billion; the bid-to-cover ratio was 2.20.

Its bid-to-cover of 2.20 compares with the 24 auctions before it: lowest 1.79 on , highest 2.95 on ; 35.3% of the way from the low to the high.

2.20

Low 1.79 Midpoint 2.370 High 2.95

The security10-Year, new issue

Coupon
3.750%
Announced
Issued
Matures

It adds to the debt that matures in November 2018.

Understanding this result

Where it stands today

The high yield was 3.783% at this 10-year note auction, the median yield 3.710% and a bid-to-cover ratio of 2.20.

What do these figures measure?

The high yield is the highest rate Treasury accepted; every winning bidder gets it. The bid-to-cover ratio is bids received divided by the amount sold. Shares are of competitive bids accepted. High minus median shows how far the accepted cut-off sat above the middle accepted bid; it is not the market's auction tail, which needs a when-issued price that is not public.

Read more

How does it compare with the par yield curve?

The par yield curve comparison sets the high yield against Treasury's own par yield curve on the auction day, at the point nearest this security's maturity (10-year). Treasury fixes that curve from market quotes in the late afternoon, after the auction closed, so the gap mixes the auction's pricing with the afternoon's market move. It is not the auction tail either.

What these figures cannot tell

  • Why it sold where it did. Results show what was bid and accepted, not the reasons behind any bid.
  • The auction tail as markets quote it. That compares the high yield with the when-issued yield just before bids closed, a market price that is not public; we show high minus median instead, a different measure.
  • Who the bidders are. Indirect bidders include foreign and international accounts bidding through the New York Fed and investors bidding through dealers; Treasury does not publish names.
  • Demand on another day. A bid-to-cover ratio counts bids at one auction against the amount offered, and the amount offered changes from auction to auction.

The numbers behind the chart

What did Treasury publish for this auction?Every field, to the dollar
10-year note auction of 12 November 2008: Treasury's published result, with our shares and spread marked "ours"
FieldValue
Offered as10-Year, new issue
Offering amount$20,000,000,000
Bids received$47,561,137,200
Sold$23,554,477,200
Competitive bids accepted$19,756,461,600
Non-competitive bids accepted$198,538,600
Federal Reserve (SOMA) add-on$3,554,477,000
Foreign and international (FIMA) non-competitive$45,000,000
High yield, %3.783
Median rate, %3.710
Low rate, %3.550
Interest rate (coupon), %3.750
Bids at the high rate filled, %59.39
Bid-to-cover ratio2.20
Indirect bidders accepted$7,106,121,600
Direct bidders accepted$928,340,000
Primary dealers accepted$11,722,000,000
Indirect bidders' share, % (ours)36.0
Direct bidders' share, % (ours)4.7
Primary dealers' share, % (ours)59.3
High minus median, basis points (ours)7.3
Treasury par yield curve, 10-year point, same day, %3.75
High yield minus that point, basis points (ours)3.3
How does it compare with earlier auctions?The previous 12 auctions, then every window
Against the previous 12 auctions of the 10-year note
MeasureThis auctionMedianHigherLower
Bid-to-cover ratio2.202.329 of 123 of 12
High yield3.7833.7096 of 126 of 12
Indirect bidders' share36.027.41 of 87 of 8
Direct bidders' share4.70.50 of 88 of 8
Primary dealers' share59.371.98 of 80 of 8
High minus median, basis points7.34.63 of 129 of 12

The table scrolls sideways; the first column stays in place.

The longer windows

Each measure against earlier 10-year note auctions: how many were higher and lower, and their median
MeasureThis auctionWindowHigherLowerMedian
Bid-to-cover ratio2.20Last 24 auctions21 of 243 of 242.34
Bid-to-cover ratio2.20Since 7 May 20086 of 82 of 82.32
Bid-to-cover ratio2.20All 62 since 10 November 199940 of 6222 of 622.32
High yield3.783Last 24 auctions18 of 246 of 244.423
High yield3.783Since 7 May 20084 of 84 of 83.709
High yield3.783All 144 since 31 October 1979136 of 1448 of 1445.988
Indirect bidders' share36.0All 8 since 7 May 20081 of 87 of 827.4
Direct bidders' share4.7All 8 since 7 May 20080 of 88 of 80.5
Primary dealers' share59.3All 8 since 7 May 20088 of 80 of 871.9
High minus median, basis points7.3Last 24 auctions3 of 2421 of 242.8
High minus median, basis points7.3Since 7 May 20083 of 85 of 86.2
High minus median, basis points7.3All 144 since 31 October 19796 of 144138 of 1442.0

The table scrolls sideways; the first column stays in place.

When are the figures from, and how are they cited?Dates and how to cite

Observed .

Shares of competitive bids, grades against earlier auctions and the high-minus-median spread are computed by 500metrics from Treasury's published fields.

Observed .

How to cite this

U.S. Treasury, Bureau of the Fiscal Service, Fiscal Data, Treasury Securities Auctions Data, auction of 12 November 2008. Results file: https://www.treasurydirect.gov/instit/annceresult/press/preanre/2008/R_20081112_2.pdf. Compiled by 500metrics, "10-year note auction of 12 November 2008 (new issue)", https://500metrics.com/treasury/auctions/10-year-note/2008-11-12.

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