Treasury auctions · 2-Year Note

2-year note auction of 24 April 2012 (new issue)

The 2-year note sold $35.94 billion at a high yield of 0.270% on , with a bid-to-cover ratio of 3.76.

High yield at each 2-year note auction

The last 36 auctions, this one last

High yield at each 2-year note auction, 26 May 2009 to 24 Apr 2012
High yield at each 2-year note auction, 27 Apr 2010 to 24 Apr 2012

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 May 2009 to 24 Apr 2012
Bid-to-cover ratio at each 2-year note auction, 27 Apr 2010 to 24 Apr 2012

Who bought the 2-year note of 24 Apr 2012

Shares of the competitive bids accepted

  • Indirect bidders 32.1%
  • Direct bidders 7.8%
  • Primary dealers 60.0%
This auction, 24 Apr 2012
  • Indirect bidders 34.3%
  • Direct bidders 21.4%
  • Primary dealers 44.3%
The 2-year note auction before, 27 Mar 2012

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 bidders32.1%
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
0.2703.76
0.3403.69
0.3103.54
0.2503.75
0.2403.45
0.2804.07
0.2813.64
0.2493.76
0.2223.44
0.4173.14
0.3953.08
0.5603.46
0.6733.06
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

Observed .

Right now

The high yield was 0.270% on 24 April 2012, down from 0.340% at the auction before.

The direct bidders' share of 7.8% was the lowest for a 2-year note since 22 February 2011, with 13 auctions in between.

Higher than 4 of the 48 since 23 April 2008

Its own history

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

The direct bidders' share was higher than 1 of them.

See every measure against earlier auctions

Who bought

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

  • Indirect bidders 32.1%
  • Direct bidders 7.8%
  • Primary dealers 60.0%

Size

Treasury sold $35.94 billion of the $35 billion offered.

Bids received came to $132.529 billion; the bid-to-cover ratio was 3.76.

Its bid-to-cover of 3.76 compares with the 24 auctions before it: lowest 2.93 on , highest 4.07 on ; 72.8% of the way from the low to the high.

3.76

Low 2.93 Midpoint 3.500 High 4.07

The security2-Year, new issue

Coupon
0.250%
Announced
Issued
Matures

It adds to the debt that matures in April 2014.

Understanding this result

Where it stands today

The high yield was 0.270% at this 2-year note auction, the median yield 0.250% and a bid-to-cover ratio of 3.76.

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 April 2012: 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$132,528,802,000
Sold$35,940,493,300
Competitive bids accepted$34,837,391,300
Non-competitive bids accepted$162,743,700
Federal Reserve (SOMA) add-on$940,358,300
Foreign and international (FIMA) non-competitive$0
High yield, %0.270
Median rate, %0.250
Low rate, %0.207
Interest rate (coupon), %0.250
Bids at the high rate filled, %99.89
Bid-to-cover ratio3.76
Indirect bidders accepted$11,195,551,600
Direct bidders accepted$2,725,000,000
Primary dealers accepted$20,916,839,700
Indirect bidders' share, % (ours)32.1
Direct bidders' share, % (ours)7.8
Primary dealers' share, % (ours)60.0
High minus median, basis points (ours)2.0
Treasury par yield curve, 2-year point, same day, %0.27
High yield minus that point, basis points (ours)0.0
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 ratio3.763.501 of 1210 of 12
High yield0.2700.2968 of 124 of 12
Indirect bidders' share32.133.67 of 125 of 12
Direct bidders' share7.813.412 of 120 of 12
Primary dealers' share60.052.42 of 1210 of 12
High minus median, basis points2.02.05 of 125 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 ratio3.76Last 24 auctions2 of 2421 of 243.45
Bid-to-cover ratio3.76Since 23 April 20082 of 4845 of 483.12
Bid-to-cover ratio3.76All 147 since 27 October 19993 of 147143 of 1472.46
High yield0.270Last 24 auctions20 of 244 of 240.470
High yield0.270Since 23 April 200844 of 484 of 480.841
High yield0.270All 381 since 23 January 1980377 of 3814 of 3815.690
Indirect bidders' share32.1Last 24 auctions14 of 2410 of 2432.9
Indirect bidders' share32.1All 48 since 23 April 200831 of 4817 of 4834.7
Direct bidders' share7.8Last 24 auctions23 of 241 of 2414.0
Direct bidders' share7.8All 48 since 23 April 200830 of 4818 of 4810.8
Primary dealers' share60.0Last 24 auctions3 of 2421 of 2452.4
Primary dealers' share60.0All 48 since 23 April 200815 of 4833 of 4852.5
High minus median, basis points2.0Last 24 auctions13 of 247 of 242.2
High minus median, basis points2.0Since 23 April 200837 of 487 of 483.2
High minus median, basis points2.0All 381 since 23 January 1980171 of 381149 of 3812.0

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 April 2012. Results file: https://www.treasurydirect.gov/instit/annceresult/press/preanre/2012/R_20120424_2.pdf. Compiled by 500metrics, "2-year note auction of 24 April 2012 (new issue)", https://500metrics.com/treasury/auctions/2-year-note/2012-04-24.

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