Treasury auctions · 10-Year Note

10-year note auction of 12 May 2020 (new issue)

The 10-year note sold $48.923 billion at a high yield of 0.700% on , with a bid-to-cover ratio of 2.69.

High yield at each 10-year note auction

The last 36 auctions, this one last

High yield at each 10-year note auction, 9 Aug 2017 to 12 May 2020
High yield at each 10-year note auction, 11 Jun 2018 to 12 May 2020

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 Aug 2017 to 12 May 2020
Bid-to-cover ratio at each 10-year note auction, 11 Jun 2018 to 12 May 2020

Who bought the 10-year note of 12 May 2020

Shares of the competitive bids accepted

  • Indirect bidders 66.1%
  • Direct bidders 13.3%
  • Primary dealers 20.5%
This auction, 12 May 2020
  • Indirect bidders 59.2%
  • Direct bidders 13.2%
  • Primary dealers 27.6%
The 10-year note auction before, 7 Apr 2020

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 bidders66.1%
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
0.7002.69
0.7822.43
0.8492.36
1.6222.58
1.8692.45
1.8422.43
1.8092.49
1.6302.60
1.5902.43
1.7392.46
1.6702.20
2.0642.41
2.0653.43
2.1302.49
2.4792.17
2.4662.55
2.6152.59
2.6892.35
2.7282.51
2.9152.35
3.2092.54
3.2252.39
2.9572.58
2.9602.55
2.8592.57
2.9622.59
2.9952.56
2.7952.46
2.8892.50
2.8112.34
2.5792.69
2.3842.37
2.3142.48
2.3462.54
2.1802.28
2.2502.23

Observed .

Right now

The high yield of 0.700% on 12 May 2020 was the lowest of all 284 earlier 10-year note auctions we hold.

The indirect bidders' share of 66.1% was the highest for a 10-year note since 10 April 2019, with 14 auctions in between.

The primary dealers' share of 20.5% was the lowest for a 10-year note since 10 April 2019, with 14 auctions in between.

Lower than all 148 since 7 May 2008

Its own history

Against the previous 24 10-year note auctions, the high yield was lower than all 24.

The bid-to-cover ratio was higher than 23 of them.

See every measure against earlier auctions

Who bought

Indirect bidders took the largest share of the competitive bids accepted.

  • Indirect bidders 66.1%
  • Direct bidders 13.3%
  • Primary dealers 20.5%

Size

Treasury sold $48.923 billion of the $32 billion offered.

Bids received came to $102.887 billion; the bid-to-cover ratio was 2.69.

Its bid-to-cover of 2.69 compares with the 24 auctions before it: lowest 2.17 on , highest 3.43 on ; 41.3% of the way from the low to the high.

2.69

Low 2.17 Midpoint 2.800 High 3.43

The security10-Year, new issue

Coupon
0.625%
Announced
Issued
Matures

It adds to the debt that matures in May 2030.

Understanding this result

Where it stands today

The high yield was 0.700% at this 10-year note auction, the median yield 0.650% and a bid-to-cover ratio of 2.69.

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 May 2020: Treasury's published result, with our shares and spread marked "ours"
FieldValue
Offered as10-Year, new issue
Offering amount$32,000,000,000
Bids received$102,886,970,600
Sold$48,923,196,400
Competitive bids accepted$31,988,685,800
Non-competitive bids accepted$11,349,600
Federal Reserve (SOMA) add-on$16,923,161,000
Foreign and international (FIMA) non-competitive$0
High yield, %0.700
Median rate, %0.650
Low rate, %0.590
Interest rate (coupon), %0.625
Bids at the high rate filled, %28.91
Bid-to-cover ratio2.69
Indirect bidders accepted$21,159,048,300
Direct bidders accepted$4,266,000,000
Primary dealers accepted$6,563,637,500
Indirect bidders' share, % (ours)66.1
Direct bidders' share, % (ours)13.3
Primary dealers' share, % (ours)20.5
High minus median, basis points (ours)5.0
Treasury par yield curve, 10-year point, same day, %0.69
High yield minus that point, basis points (ours)1.0
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 ratio2.692.441 of 1211 of 12
High yield0.7001.70412 of 120 of 12
Indirect bidders' share66.158.90 of 1212 of 12
Direct bidders' share13.313.05 of 127 of 12
Primary dealers' share20.528.112 of 120 of 12
High minus median, basis points5.04.44 of 128 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 ratio2.69Last 24 auctions1 of 2423 of 242.48
Bid-to-cover ratio2.69Since 7 May 200856 of 14891 of 1482.60
Bid-to-cover ratio2.69All 202 since 10 November 199964 of 202137 of 2022.56
High yield0.700Last 24 auctions24 of 240 of 242.098
High yield0.700Since 7 May 2008148 of 1480 of 1482.450
High yield0.700All 284 since 31 October 1979284 of 2840 of 2843.734
Indirect bidders' share66.1Last 24 auctions3 of 2421 of 2461.1
Indirect bidders' share66.1All 148 since 7 May 200814 of 148134 of 14851.2
Direct bidders' share13.3Last 24 auctions8 of 2416 of 2412.5
Direct bidders' share13.3All 148 since 7 May 200851 of 14897 of 14810.9
Primary dealers' share20.5Last 24 auctions23 of 241 of 2426.3
Primary dealers' share20.5All 148 since 7 May 2008140 of 1488 of 14835.5
High minus median, basis points5.0Last 24 auctions5 of 2419 of 244.3
High minus median, basis points5.0Since 7 May 200846 of 14898 of 1484.4
High minus median, basis points5.0All 284 since 31 October 197954 of 284224 of 2843.5

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 May 2020. Results file: https://www.treasurydirect.gov/instit/annceresult/press/preanre/2020/R_20200512_3.pdf. Compiled by 500metrics, "10-year note auction of 12 May 2020 (new issue)", https://500metrics.com/treasury/auctions/10-year-note/2020-05-12.

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