Treasury auctions · 2-Year Note

2-year note auction of 24 May 2016 (new issue)

The 2-year note sold $32.631 billion at a high yield of 0.920% on , with a bid-to-cover ratio of 3.00.

High yield at each 2-year note auction

The last 36 auctions, this one last

High yield at each 2-year note auction, 28 Jan 2013 to 24 May 2016
High yield at each 2-year note auction, 27 May 2014 to 24 May 2016

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, 28 Jan 2013 to 24 May 2016
Bid-to-cover ratio at each 2-year note auction, 27 May 2014 to 24 May 2016

Who bought the 2-year note of 24 May 2016

Shares of the competitive bids accepted

  • Indirect bidders 49.8%
  • Direct bidders 32.5%
  • Primary dealers 17.7%
This auction, 24 May 2016
  • Indirect bidders 47.1%
  • Direct bidders 14.5%
  • Primary dealers 38.4%
The 2-year note auction before, 25 Apr 2016

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 bidders49.8%
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
0.9203.00
0.8422.64
0.8772.58
0.8602.90
1.0562.80
0.9483.15
0.6903.42
0.6923.28
0.5403.30
0.5983.46
0.6033.45
0.5403.74
0.7033.21
0.5423.71
0.4253.11
0.5893.56
0.5303.48
0.5443.22
0.5113.23
0.3923.52
0.4473.35
0.4693.20
0.3403.60
0.3803.30
0.3453.77
0.3003.54
0.3233.32
0.3483.09
0.3863.21
0.3363.08
0.4303.05
0.2833.04
0.2333.63
0.2553.27
0.2573.33
0.2883.77

Observed .

Right now

The high yield was 0.920% on 24 May 2016, up from 0.842% at the auction before.

The direct bidders' share of 32.5% was the highest for a 2-year note since 23 October 2012, with 37 auctions in between.

The primary dealers' share of 17.7% was the lowest of all 92 earlier 2-year note auctions we hold.

Higher than 68 of the 92 since 23 April 2008

Its own history

Against the previous 24 2-year note auctions, the direct bidders' share was higher than all 24.

The primary dealers' share was lower than all 24.

See every measure against earlier auctions

Who bought

Indirect bidders took the largest share of the competitive bids accepted.

  • Indirect bidders 49.8%
  • Direct bidders 32.5%
  • Primary dealers 17.7%

Size

Treasury sold $32.631 billion of the $26 billion offered.

Bids received came to $84.7 billion; the bid-to-cover ratio was 3.00.

Its bid-to-cover of 3.00 compares with the 24 auctions before it: lowest 2.58 on , highest 3.77 on ; 35.3% of the way from the low to the high.

3.00

Low 2.58 Midpoint 3.175 High 3.77

The security2-Year, new issue

Coupon
0.875%
Announced
Issued
Matures

It adds to the debt that matures in May 2018.

Understanding this result

Where it stands today

The high yield was 0.920% at this 2-year note auction, the median yield 0.900% and a bid-to-cover ratio of 3.00.

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 May 2016: Treasury's published result, with our shares and spread marked "ours"
FieldValue
Offered as2-Year, new issue
Offering amount$26,000,000,000
Bids received$84,699,558,400
Sold$32,630,737,400
Competitive bids accepted$25,792,767,000
Non-competitive bids accepted$207,242,100
Federal Reserve (SOMA) add-on$6,630,728,300
Foreign and international (FIMA) non-competitive$0
High yield, %0.920
Median rate, %0.900
Low rate, %0.800
Interest rate (coupon), %0.875
Bids at the high rate filled, %84.57
Bid-to-cover ratio3.00
Indirect bidders accepted$12,841,172,000
Direct bidders accepted$8,387,350,000
Primary dealers accepted$4,564,245,000
Indirect bidders' share, % (ours)49.8
Direct bidders' share, % (ours)32.5
Primary dealers' share, % (ours)17.7
High minus median, basis points (ours)2.0
Treasury par yield curve, 2-year point, same day, %0.92
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 ratio3.003.248 of 124 of 12
High yield0.9200.6982 of 1210 of 12
Indirect bidders' share49.847.33 of 129 of 12
Direct bidders' share32.514.60 of 1212 of 12
Primary dealers' share17.737.312 of 120 of 12
High minus median, basis points2.03.412 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 ratio3.00Last 24 auctions20 of 244 of 243.30
Bid-to-cover ratio3.00Since 23 April 200869 of 9222 of 923.28
Bid-to-cover ratio3.00All 191 since 27 October 199975 of 191115 of 1912.69
High yield0.920Last 24 auctions2 of 2422 of 240.543
High yield0.920Since 23 April 200824 of 9268 of 920.543
High yield0.920All 425 since 23 January 1980357 of 42568 of 4255.140
Indirect bidders' share49.8Last 24 auctions3 of 2421 of 2439.0
Indirect bidders' share49.8All 92 since 23 April 20087 of 9285 of 9234.0
Direct bidders' share32.5Last 24 auctions0 of 2424 of 2416.2
Direct bidders' share32.5All 92 since 23 April 20081 of 9291 of 9214.4
Primary dealers' share17.7Last 24 auctions24 of 240 of 2444.7
Primary dealers' share17.7All 92 since 23 April 200892 of 920 of 9251.3
High minus median, basis points2.0Last 24 auctions16 of 246 of 242.3
High minus median, basis points2.0Since 23 April 200855 of 9229 of 922.4
High minus median, basis points2.0All 425 since 23 January 1980189 of 425171 of 4252.0

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 May 2016. Results file: https://www.treasurydirect.gov/instit/annceresult/press/preanre/2016/R_20160524_3.pdf. Compiled by 500metrics, "2-year note auction of 24 May 2016 (new issue)", https://500metrics.com/treasury/auctions/2-year-note/2016-05-24.

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