Treasury auctions · 2-Year Note

2-year note auction of 24 August 2010 (new issue)

The 2-year note sold $37.906 billion at a high yield of 0.498% on , with a bid-to-cover ratio of 3.12.

High yield at each 2-year note auction

The last 36 auctions, this one last

High yield at each 2-year note auction, 26 Sep 2007 to 24 Aug 2010
High yield at each 2-year note auction, 27 Aug 2008 to 24 Aug 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 Sep 2007 to 24 Aug 2010
Bid-to-cover ratio at each 2-year note auction, 27 Aug 2008 to 24 Aug 2010

Who bought the 2-year note of 24 Aug 2010

Shares of the competitive bids accepted

  • Indirect bidders 29.2%
  • Direct bidders 12.1%
  • Primary dealers 58.7%
This auction, 24 Aug 2010
  • Indirect bidders 32.8%
  • Direct bidders 13.5%
  • Primary dealers 53.7%
The 2-year note auction before, 27 Jul 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 bidders29.2%
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
0.4983.12
0.6653.33
0.7383.45
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

Observed .

Right now

The high yield of 0.498% on 24 August 2010 was the lowest of all 361 earlier 2-year note auctions we hold.

The indirect bidders' share of 29.2% was the lowest for a 2-year note since 27 April 2009, with 15 auctions in between.

The primary dealers' share of 58.7% was the highest for a 2-year note since 28 July 2009, with 12 auctions in between.

Lower than all 28 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 17 of them.

See every measure against earlier auctions

Who bought

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

  • Indirect bidders 29.2%
  • Direct bidders 12.1%
  • Primary dealers 58.7%

Size

Treasury sold $37.906 billion of the $37 billion offered.

Bids received came to $116.453 billion; the bid-to-cover ratio was 3.12.

Its bid-to-cover of 3.12 compares with the 24 auctions before it: lowest 2.08 on , highest 3.63 on ; 67.1% of the way from the low to the high.

3.12

Low 2.08 Midpoint 2.855 High 3.63

The security2-Year, new issue

Coupon
0.375%
Announced
Issued
Matures

It adds to the debt that matures in August 2012.

Understanding this result

Where it stands today

The high yield was 0.498% at this 2-year note auction, the median yield 0.480% and a bid-to-cover ratio of 3.12.

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 24 August 2010: Treasury's published result, with our shares and spread marked "ours"
FieldValue
Offered as2-Year, new issue
Offering amount$37,000,000,000
Bids received$116,453,030,300
Sold$37,905,982,800
Competitive bids accepted$36,544,452,500
Non-competitive bids accepted$455,620,700
Federal Reserve (SOMA) add-on$905,909,600
Foreign and international (FIMA) non-competitive$0
High yield, %0.498
Median rate, %0.480
Low rate, %0.396
Interest rate (coupon), %0.375
Bids at the high rate filled, %95.59
Bid-to-cover ratio3.12
Indirect bidders accepted$10,687,475,000
Direct bidders accepted$4,411,847,500
Primary dealers accepted$21,445,130,000
Indirect bidders' share, % (ours)29.2
Direct bidders' share, % (ours)12.1
Primary dealers' share, % (ours)58.7
High minus median, basis points (ours)1.8
Treasury par yield curve, 2-year point, same day, %0.50
High yield minus that point, basis points (ours)-0.2
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 ratio3.123.147 of 125 of 12
High yield0.4980.94812 of 120 of 12
Indirect bidders' share29.242.312 of 120 of 12
Direct bidders' share12.113.67 of 125 of 12
Primary dealers' share58.746.60 of 1212 of 12
High minus median, basis points1.84.011 of 120 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 ratio3.12Last 24 auctions8 of 2416 of 242.92
Bid-to-cover ratio3.12Since 23 April 20088 of 2820 of 282.74
Bid-to-cover ratio3.12All 127 since 27 October 199911 of 127116 of 1272.36
High yield0.498Last 24 auctions24 of 240 of 240.980
High yield0.498Since 23 April 200828 of 280 of 281.022
High yield0.498All 361 since 23 January 1980361 of 3610 of 3615.885
Indirect bidders' share29.2Last 24 auctions21 of 243 of 2435.5
Indirect bidders' share29.2All 28 since 23 April 200823 of 285 of 2834.8
Direct bidders' share12.1Last 24 auctions7 of 2417 of 245.1
Direct bidders' share12.1All 28 since 23 April 20087 of 2821 of 283.8
Primary dealers' share58.7Last 24 auctions8 of 2416 of 2449.7
Primary dealers' share58.7All 28 since 23 April 200812 of 2816 of 2852.6
High minus median, basis points1.8Last 24 auctions23 of 240 of 244.3
High minus median, basis points1.8Since 23 April 200827 of 280 of 284.3
High minus median, basis points1.8All 361 since 23 January 1980224 of 361130 of 3612.0

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 24 August 2010. Results file: https://www.treasurydirect.gov/instit/annceresult/press/preanre/2010/R_20100824_3.pdf. Compiled by 500metrics, "2-year note auction of 24 August 2010 (new issue)", https://500metrics.com/treasury/auctions/2-year-note/2010-08-24.

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