Treasury auctions · 2-Year Note

2-year note auction of 27 October 2009 (new issue)

The 2-year note sold $45.085 billion at a high yield of 1.020% on , with a bid-to-cover ratio of 3.63.

High yield at each 2-year note auction

The last 36 auctions, this one last

High yield at each 2-year note auction, 28 Nov 2006 to 27 Oct 2009
High yield at each 2-year note auction, 28 Nov 2007 to 27 Oct 2009

Bid-to-cover ratio at each 2-year note auction

The last 36 auctions, this one last

Bid-to-cover ratio at each 2-year note auction, 28 Nov 2006 to 27 Oct 2009
Bid-to-cover ratio at each 2-year note auction, 28 Nov 2007 to 27 Oct 2009

Who bought the 2-year note of 27 Oct 2009

Shares of the competitive bids accepted

  • Indirect bidders 44.5%
  • Direct bidders 26.1%
  • Primary dealers 29.4%
This auction, 27 Oct 2009
  • Indirect bidders 45.2%
  • Direct bidders 11.8%
  • Primary dealers 43.0%
The 2-year note auction before, 22 Sep 2009

Each point is one 2-year note auction, this one last; pointing at the chart shows its date and figures.

Select a line to followLatest:

  • Indirect bidders44.5%
Inspect and compare dates
High yield and bid-to-cover of the last 36 2-year note auctions, newest first
AuctionHigh yield, %Bid-to-cover
1.0203.63
1.0343.23
1.1192.68
1.0802.75
1.1513.19
0.9402.94
0.9492.72
0.9492.71
0.9612.63
0.9252.69
0.9222.13
1.2692.08
1.6002.49
2.1152.21
2.3802.18
2.8202.42
2.9222.64
2.6402.28
2.2252.21
1.7612.44
2.0452.14
2.2372.33
3.2852.23
3.1592.21
3.7232.86
4.0003.29
4.1153.97
4.7352.59
4.9062.80
4.8862.53
4.6062.93
4.5142.81
4.8303.04
4.9303.03
4.7652.46
4.6923.02

Observed .

Right now

The high yield was 1.020% on 27 October 2009, down from 1.034% at the auction before.

The bid-to-cover ratio of 3.63 was the highest for a 2-year note since 29 August 2007, with 25 auctions in between.

The direct bidders' share of 26.1% was the highest of all 18 earlier 2-year note auctions we hold.

Higher than 6 of the 18 since 23 April 2008

Its own history

The bid-to-cover ratio was higher than all 24 previous 2-year note auctions and the direct bidders' share was higher than all 12 previous 2-year note auctions.

The indirect bidders' share was higher than 7 of the previous 12 2-year note auctions.

See every measure against earlier auctions

Who bought

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

  • Indirect bidders 44.5%
  • Direct bidders 26.1%
  • Primary dealers 29.4%

Size

Treasury sold $45.085 billion of the $44 billion offered.

Bids received came to $160.96 billion; the bid-to-cover ratio was 3.63.

Its bid-to-cover of 3.63 compares with the 24 auctions before it: lowest 2.08 on , highest 3.63 on ; 100.0% of the way from the low to the high.

3.63

Low 2.08 Midpoint 2.855 High 3.63

The security2-Year, new issue

Coupon
1.000%
Announced
Issued
Matures

It adds to the debt that matures in October 2011.

Understanding this result

Where it stands today

The high yield was 1.020% at this 2-year note auction, the median yield 0.980% and a bid-to-cover ratio of 3.63.

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 (2-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
2-year note auction of 27 October 2009: Treasury's published result, with our shares and spread marked "ours"
FieldValue
Offered as2-Year, new issue
Offering amount$44,000,000,000
Bids received$160,959,933,200
Sold$45,085,220,300
Competitive bids accepted$43,463,337,100
Non-competitive bids accepted$437,129,800
Federal Reserve (SOMA) add-on$1,084,753,400
Foreign and international (FIMA) non-competitive$100,000,000
High yield, %1.020
Median rate, %0.980
Low rate, %0.800
Interest rate (coupon), %1.000
Bids at the high rate filled, %3.21
Bid-to-cover ratio3.63
Indirect bidders accepted$19,319,575,000
Direct bidders accepted$11,360,316,100
Primary dealers accepted$12,783,446,000
Indirect bidders' share, % (ours)44.5
Direct bidders' share, % (ours)26.1
Primary dealers' share, % (ours)29.4
High minus median, basis points (ours)4.0
Treasury par yield curve, 2-year point, same day, %0.99
High yield minus that point, basis points (ours)3.0
How does it compare with earlier auctions?The previous 12 auctions, then every window
Against the previous 12 auctions of the 2-year note
MeasureThis auctionMedianHigherLower
Bid-to-cover ratio3.632.700 of 1212 of 12
High yield1.0200.9986 of 126 of 12
Indirect bidders' share44.538.45 of 127 of 12
Direct bidders' share26.13.10 of 1212 of 12
Primary dealers' share29.460.211 of 121 of 12
High minus median, basis points4.05.29 of 123 of 12

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

The longer windows

Each measure against earlier 2-year note auctions: how many were higher and lower, and their median
MeasureThis auctionWindowHigherLowerMedian
Bid-to-cover ratio3.63Last 24 auctions0 of 2424 of 242.46
Bid-to-cover ratio3.63Since 23 April 20080 of 1818 of 182.64
Bid-to-cover ratio3.63All 117 since 27 October 19991 of 117116 of 1172.28
High yield1.020Last 24 auctions18 of 246 of 241.680
High yield1.020Since 23 April 200812 of 186 of 181.135
High yield1.020All 351 since 23 January 1980345 of 3516 of 3515.940
Indirect bidders' share44.5All 18 since 23 April 20085 of 1813 of 1834.1
Direct bidders' share26.1All 18 since 23 April 20080 of 1818 of 182.2
Primary dealers' share29.4All 18 since 23 April 200817 of 181 of 1863.1
High minus median, basis points4.0Last 24 auctions14 of 2410 of 244.4
High minus median, basis points4.0Since 23 April 200813 of 185 of 185.0
High minus median, basis points4.0All 351 since 23 January 198046 of 351293 of 3512.0

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 27 October 2009. Results file: https://www.treasurydirect.gov/instit/annceresult/press/preanre/2009/R_20091027_2.pdf. Compiled by 500metrics, "2-year note auction of 27 October 2009 (new issue)", https://500metrics.com/treasury/auctions/2-year-note/2009-10-27.

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