Treasury auctions · 2-Year Note

2-year note auction of 23 November 2009 (new issue)

The 2-year note sold $45.321 billion at a high yield of 0.802% on , with a bid-to-cover ratio of 3.16.

High yield at each 2-year note auction

The last 36 auctions, this one last

High yield at each 2-year note auction, 27 Dec 2006 to 23 Nov 2009
High yield at each 2-year note auction, 28 Nov 2007 to 23 Nov 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, 27 Dec 2006 to 23 Nov 2009
Bid-to-cover ratio at each 2-year note auction, 28 Nov 2007 to 23 Nov 2009

Who bought the 2-year note of 23 Nov 2009

Shares of the competitive bids accepted

  • Indirect bidders 44.5%
  • Direct bidders 4.7%
  • Primary dealers 50.8%
This auction, 23 Nov 2009
  • Indirect bidders 44.5%
  • Direct bidders 26.1%
  • Primary dealers 29.4%
The 2-year note auction before, 27 Oct 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
0.8023.16
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

Observed .

Right now

The high yield of 0.802% on 23 November 2009 was the lowest of all 352 earlier 2-year note auctions we hold.

Lower than all 19 since 23 April 2008

Its own history

The high yield was lower than all 24 previous 2-year note auctions.

The bid-to-cover ratio was higher than 21 of the previous 24 2-year note auctions.

See every measure against earlier auctions

Who bought

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

  • Indirect bidders 44.5%
  • Direct bidders 4.7%
  • Primary dealers 50.8%

Size

Treasury sold $45.321 billion of the $44 billion offered.

Bids received came to $140.306 billion; the bid-to-cover ratio was 3.16.

Its bid-to-cover of 3.16 compares with the 24 auctions before it: lowest 2.08 on , highest 3.63 on ; 69.7% of the way from the low to the high.

3.16

Low 2.08 Midpoint 2.855 High 3.63

The security2-Year, new issue

Coupon
0.750%
Announced
Issued
Matures

It adds to the debt that matures in November 2011.

Understanding this result

Where it stands today

The high yield was 0.802% at this 2-year note auction, the median yield 0.770% and a bid-to-cover ratio of 3.16.

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 23 November 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$140,305,973,100
Sold$45,321,323,100
Competitive bids accepted$43,483,420,000
Non-competitive bids accepted$416,622,200
Federal Reserve (SOMA) add-on$1,321,280,900
Foreign and international (FIMA) non-competitive$100,000,000
High yield, %0.802
Median rate, %0.770
Low rate, %0.655
Interest rate (coupon), %0.750
Bids at the high rate filled, %95.78
Bid-to-cover ratio3.16
Indirect bidders accepted$19,364,070,000
Direct bidders accepted$2,037,000,000
Primary dealers accepted$22,082,350,000
Indirect bidders' share, % (ours)44.5
Direct bidders' share, % (ours)4.7
Primary dealers' share, % (ours)50.8
High minus median, basis points (ours)3.2
Treasury par yield curve, 2-year point, same day, %0.77
High yield minus that point, basis points (ours)3.2
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 ratio3.162.723 of 129 of 12
High yield0.8020.99012 of 120 of 12
Indirect bidders' share44.539.75 of 127 of 12
Direct bidders' share4.73.43 of 129 of 12
Primary dealers' share50.854.86 of 126 of 12
High minus median, basis points3.25.210 of 121 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 ratio3.16Last 24 auctions3 of 2421 of 242.46
Bid-to-cover ratio3.16Since 23 April 20083 of 1916 of 192.64
Bid-to-cover ratio3.16All 118 since 27 October 19995 of 118113 of 1182.30
High yield0.802Last 24 auctions24 of 240 of 241.434
High yield0.802Since 23 April 200819 of 190 of 191.119
High yield0.802All 352 since 23 January 1980352 of 3520 of 3525.940
Indirect bidders' share44.5All 19 since 23 April 20085 of 1914 of 1934.6
Direct bidders' share4.7All 19 since 23 April 20084 of 1915 of 192.3
Primary dealers' share50.8All 19 since 23 April 200813 of 196 of 1962.9
High minus median, basis points3.2Last 24 auctions18 of 245 of 244.4
High minus median, basis points3.2Since 23 April 200815 of 193 of 195.0
High minus median, basis points3.2All 352 since 23 January 198069 of 352282 of 3522.0

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 23 November 2009. Results file: https://www.treasurydirect.gov/instit/annceresult/press/preanre/2009/R_20091123_3.pdf. Compiled by 500metrics, "2-year note auction of 23 November 2009 (new issue)", https://500metrics.com/treasury/auctions/2-year-note/2009-11-23.

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