Treasury auctions · 2-Year Note

2-year note auction of 28 March 2011 (new issue)

The 2-year note sold $36.57 billion at a high yield of 0.789% 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, 23 Apr 2008 to 28 Mar 2011
High yield at each 2-year note auction, 27 Apr 2009 to 28 Mar 2011

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, 23 Apr 2008 to 28 Mar 2011
Bid-to-cover ratio at each 2-year note auction, 27 Apr 2009 to 28 Mar 2011

Who bought the 2-year note of 28 Mar 2011

Shares of the competitive bids accepted

  • Indirect bidders 33.0%
  • Direct bidders 13.3%
  • Primary dealers 53.7%
This auction, 28 Mar 2011
  • Indirect bidders 31.3%
  • Direct bidders 6.8%
  • Primary dealers 61.8%
The 2-year note auction before, 22 Feb 2011

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 bidders33.0%
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
0.7893.16
0.7453.03
0.6503.47
0.7403.71
0.5203.70
0.4003.43
0.4413.78
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

Observed .

Right now

The high yield of 0.789% on 28 March 2011 was the highest for a 2-year note since 27 April 2010.

Higher than 10 of the 35 since 23 April 2008

Its own history

Against the previous 24 2-year note auctions, the primary dealers' share was higher than 18 of the 24.

The indirect bidders' share was higher than 7 of them.

See every measure against earlier auctions

Who bought

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

  • Indirect bidders 33.0%
  • Direct bidders 13.3%
  • Primary dealers 53.7%

Size

Treasury sold $36.57 billion of the $35 billion offered.

Bids received came to $112.309 billion; the bid-to-cover ratio was 3.16.

Its bid-to-cover of 3.16 compares with the 24 auctions before it: lowest 2.68 on , highest 3.78 on ; 43.6% of the way from the low to the high.

3.16

Low 2.68 Midpoint 3.230 High 3.78

The security2-Year, new issue

Coupon
0.750%
Announced
Issued
Matures

It adds to the debt that matures in March 2013.

Understanding this result

Where it stands today

The high yield was 0.789% at this 2-year note auction, the median yield 0.750% 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 28 March 2011: Treasury's published result, with our shares and spread marked "ours"
FieldValue
Offered as2-Year, new issue
Offering amount$35,000,000,000
Bids received$112,308,643,000
Sold$36,569,643,000
Competitive bids accepted$34,612,770,000
Non-competitive bids accepted$387,286,900
Federal Reserve (SOMA) add-on$1,569,586,100
Foreign and international (FIMA) non-competitive$0
High yield, %0.789
Median rate, %0.750
Low rate, %0.686
Interest rate (coupon), %0.750
Bids at the high rate filled, %9.50
Bid-to-cover ratio3.16
Indirect bidders accepted$11,411,020,000
Direct bidders accepted$4,608,250,000
Primary dealers accepted$18,593,500,000
Indirect bidders' share, % (ours)33.0
Direct bidders' share, % (ours)13.3
Primary dealers' share, % (ours)53.7
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)-2.1
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 ratio3.163.387 of 125 of 12
High yield0.7890.7022 of 1210 of 12
Indirect bidders' share33.033.86 of 126 of 12
Direct bidders' share13.314.69 of 123 of 12
Primary dealers' share53.750.84 of 128 of 12
High minus median, basis points3.92.62 of 129 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 auctions11 of 2412 of 243.14
Bid-to-cover ratio3.16Since 23 April 200811 of 3523 of 352.94
Bid-to-cover ratio3.16All 134 since 27 October 199913 of 134120 of 1342.39
High yield0.789Last 24 auctions14 of 2410 of 240.888
High yield0.789Since 23 April 200825 of 3510 of 350.949
High yield0.789All 368 since 23 January 1980358 of 36810 of 3685.822
Indirect bidders' share33.0Last 24 auctions17 of 247 of 2438.6
Indirect bidders' share33.0All 35 since 23 April 200822 of 3513 of 3534.8
Direct bidders' share13.3Last 24 auctions11 of 2413 of 2412.0
Direct bidders' share13.3All 35 since 23 April 200811 of 3524 of 356.8
Primary dealers' share53.7Last 24 auctions6 of 2418 of 2447.5
Primary dealers' share53.7All 35 since 23 April 200817 of 3518 of 3553.7
High minus median, basis points3.9Last 24 auctions10 of 2413 of 243.2
High minus median, basis points3.9Since 23 April 200818 of 3516 of 354.0
High minus median, basis points3.9All 368 since 23 January 198063 of 368303 of 3682.0

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 28 March 2011. Results file: https://www.treasurydirect.gov/instit/annceresult/press/preanre/2011/R_20110328_3.pdf. Compiled by 500metrics, "2-year note auction of 28 March 2011 (new issue)", https://500metrics.com/treasury/auctions/2-year-note/2011-03-28.

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