Treasury auctions · 2-Year Note

2-year note auction of 25 May 2010 (new issue)

The 2-year note sold $42.913 billion at a high yield of 0.769% on , with a bid-to-cover ratio of 2.93.

High yield at each 2-year note auction

The last 36 auctions, this one last

High yield at each 2-year note auction, 26 Jun 2007 to 25 May 2010
High yield at each 2-year note auction, 28 May 2008 to 25 May 2010

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, 26 Jun 2007 to 25 May 2010
Bid-to-cover ratio at each 2-year note auction, 28 May 2008 to 25 May 2010

Who bought the 2-year note of 25 May 2010

Shares of the competitive bids accepted

  • Indirect bidders 36.2%
  • Direct bidders 15.2%
  • Primary dealers 48.6%
This auction, 25 May 2010
  • Indirect bidders 31.0%
  • Direct bidders 21.4%
  • Primary dealers 47.6%
The 2-year note auction before, 27 Apr 2010

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 bidders36.2%
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
0.7692.93
1.0243.03
1.0003.00
0.8953.33
0.8803.13
1.0892.91
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

Observed .

Right now

The high yield of 0.769% on 25 May 2010 was the lowest of all 358 earlier 2-year note auctions we hold.

Lower than all 25 since 23 April 2008

Its own history

Against the previous 24 2-year note auctions, the high yield was lower than all 24.

The direct bidders' share was higher than 21 of them.

See every measure against earlier auctions

Who bought

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

  • Indirect bidders 36.2%
  • Direct bidders 15.2%
  • Primary dealers 48.6%

Size

Treasury sold $42.913 billion of the $42 billion offered.

Bids received came to $123.929 billion; the bid-to-cover ratio was 2.93.

Its bid-to-cover of 2.93 compares with the 24 auctions before it: lowest 2.08 on , highest 3.63 on ; 54.8% of the way from the low to the high.

2.93

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 May 2012.

Understanding this result

Where it stands today

The high yield was 0.769% at this 2-year note auction, the median yield 0.730% and a bid-to-cover ratio of 2.93.

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 25 May 2010: Treasury's published result, with our shares and spread marked "ours"
FieldValue
Offered as2-Year, new issue
Offering amount$42,000,000,000
Bids received$123,929,072,200
Sold$42,912,797,200
Competitive bids accepted$41,515,725,000
Non-competitive bids accepted$484,409,600
Federal Reserve (SOMA) add-on$912,662,600
Foreign and international (FIMA) non-competitive$0
High yield, %0.769
Median rate, %0.730
Low rate, %0.660
Interest rate (coupon), %0.750
Bids at the high rate filled, %91.01
Bid-to-cover ratio2.93
Indirect bidders accepted$15,037,085,000
Direct bidders accepted$6,300,030,000
Primary dealers accepted$20,178,610,000
Indirect bidders' share, % (ours)36.2
Direct bidders' share, % (ours)15.2
Primary dealers' share, % (ours)48.6
High minus median, basis points (ours)3.9
Treasury par yield curve, 2-year point, same day, %0.81
High yield minus that point, basis points (ours)-4.1
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 ratio2.933.089 of 123 of 12
High yield0.7691.02212 of 120 of 12
Indirect bidders' share36.244.58 of 124 of 12
Direct bidders' share15.29.53 of 129 of 12
Primary dealers' share48.645.93 of 129 of 12
High minus median, basis points3.94.08 of 124 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 ratio2.93Last 24 auctions9 of 2415 of 242.72
Bid-to-cover ratio2.93Since 23 April 20089 of 2516 of 252.71
Bid-to-cover ratio2.93All 124 since 27 October 199915 of 124107 of 1242.32
High yield0.769Last 24 auctions24 of 240 of 241.029
High yield0.769Since 23 April 200825 of 250 of 251.034
High yield0.769All 358 since 23 January 1980358 of 3580 of 3585.930
Indirect bidders' share36.2Last 24 auctions11 of 2413 of 2434.8
Indirect bidders' share36.2All 25 since 23 April 200811 of 2514 of 2534.8
Direct bidders' share15.2Last 24 auctions3 of 2421 of 243.5
Direct bidders' share15.2All 25 since 23 April 20083 of 2522 of 253.5
Primary dealers' share48.6Last 24 auctions14 of 2410 of 2454.6
Primary dealers' share48.6All 25 since 23 April 200815 of 2510 of 2557.9
High minus median, basis points3.9Last 24 auctions18 of 246 of 244.6
High minus median, basis points3.9Since 23 April 200818 of 257 of 254.4
High minus median, basis points3.9All 358 since 23 January 198063 of 358294 of 3582.0

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 25 May 2010. Results file: https://www.treasurydirect.gov/instit/annceresult/press/preanre/2010/R_20100525_2.pdf. Compiled by 500metrics, "2-year note auction of 25 May 2010 (new issue)", https://500metrics.com/treasury/auctions/2-year-note/2010-05-25.

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