Treasury auctions · 20-Year Bond

20-year bond auction of 20 November 2024 (new issue)

The 20-year bond sold $17.088 billion at a high yield of 4.680% on , with a bid-to-cover ratio of 2.34.

High yield at each 20-year bond auction

The last 36 auctions, this one last

High yield at each 20-year bond auction, 21 Dec 2021 to 20 Nov 2024
High yield at each 20-year bond auction, 21 Dec 2022 to 20 Nov 2024

Bid-to-cover ratio at each 20-year bond auction

The last 36 auctions, this one last

Bid-to-cover ratio at each 20-year bond auction, 21 Dec 2021 to 20 Nov 2024
Bid-to-cover ratio at each 20-year bond auction, 21 Dec 2022 to 20 Nov 2024

Who bought the 20-year bond of 20 Nov 2024

Shares of the competitive bids accepted

  • Indirect bidders 69.5%
  • Direct bidders 7.9%
  • Primary dealers 22.6%
This auction, 20 Nov 2024
  • Indirect bidders 67.9%
  • Direct bidders 17.6%
  • Primary dealers 14.5%
The 20-year bond auction before, 23 Oct 2024

Each point is one 20-year bond auction, this one last; pointing at the chart shows its date and figures.

Select a line to followLatest:

  • Indirect bidders69.5%
Inspect and compare dates
High yield and bid-to-cover of the last 36 20-year bond auctions, newest first
AuctionHigh yield, %Bid-to-cover
4.6802.34
4.5902.59
4.0392.51
4.1602.54
4.4662.68
4.4522.74
4.6352.51
4.8182.82
4.5422.79
4.5952.39
4.4232.53
4.2132.55
4.7802.58
5.2452.59
4.5922.74
4.4992.56
4.0362.68
4.0102.87
3.9542.56
3.9202.66
3.9092.53
3.9772.54
3.6782.83
3.9352.68
4.0722.64
4.3952.50
3.8202.65
3.3802.30
3.4202.65
3.4882.60
3.2902.50
3.0952.80
2.6512.72
2.3962.44
2.2102.48
1.9422.59

Observed .

Right now

The high yield of 4.680% on 20 November 2024 was the highest for a 20-year bond since 17 April 2024.

The bid-to-cover ratio of 2.34 was the lowest for a 20-year bond since 17 August 2022, with 26 auctions in between.

The direct bidders' share of 7.9% was the lowest for a 20-year bond since 2 December 2021, with 35 auctions in between.

Higher than 52 of the 55 since 20 May 2020

Its own history

Against the previous 24 20-year bond auctions, the primary dealers' share was higher than all 24.

The bid-to-cover ratio and the direct bidders' share were 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 69.5%
  • Direct bidders 7.9%
  • Primary dealers 22.6%

Size

Treasury sold $17.088 billion of the $16 billion offered.

Bids received came to $38.503 billion; the bid-to-cover ratio was 2.34.

Its bid-to-cover of 2.34 compares with the 24 auctions before it: lowest 2.34 on , highest 2.87 on ; 0.0% of the way from the low to the high.

2.34

Low 2.34 Midpoint 2.605 High 2.87

The security20-Year, new issue

Coupon
4.625%
Announced
Issued
Matures

It adds to the debt that matures in November 2044.

Understanding this result

Where it stands today

The high yield was 4.680% at this 20-year bond auction, the median yield 4.600% and a bid-to-cover ratio of 2.34.

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 (20-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
20-year bond auction of 20 November 2024: Treasury's published result, with our shares and spread marked "ours"
FieldValue
Offered as20-Year, new issue
Offering amount$16,000,000,000
Bids received$38,502,712,600
Sold$17,088,318,100
Competitive bids accepted$15,896,719,500
Non-competitive bids accepted$103,308,000
Federal Reserve (SOMA) add-on$1,088,290,600
Foreign and international (FIMA) non-competitive$0
High yield, %4.680
Median rate, %4.600
Low rate, %4.546
Interest rate (coupon), %4.625
Bids at the high rate filled, %13.41
Bid-to-cover ratio2.34
Indirect bidders accepted$11,043,114,000
Direct bidders accepted$1,259,057,500
Primary dealers accepted$3,594,548,000
Indirect bidders' share, % (ours)69.5
Direct bidders' share, % (ours)7.9
Primary dealers' share, % (ours)22.6
High minus median, basis points (ours)8.0
Treasury par yield curve, 20-year point, same day, %4.66
High yield minus that point, basis points (ours)2.0
How does it compare with earlier auctions?The previous 12 auctions, then every window
Against the previous 12 auctions of the 20-year bond
MeasureThis auctionMedianHigherLower
Bid-to-cover ratio2.342.5612 of 120 of 12
High yield4.6804.5042 of 1210 of 12
Indirect bidders' share69.570.97 of 125 of 12
Direct bidders' share7.917.412 of 120 of 12
Primary dealers' share22.69.90 of 1212 of 12
High minus median, basis points8.06.01 of 1211 of 12

The table scrolls sideways; the first column stays in place.

The longer windows

Each measure against earlier 20-year bond auctions: how many were higher and lower, and their median
MeasureThis auctionWindowHigherLowerMedian
Bid-to-cover ratio2.34Last 24 auctions24 of 240 of 242.59
Bid-to-cover ratio2.34All 55 since 20 May 202046 of 558 of 552.53
High yield4.680Last 24 auctions3 of 2421 of 244.318
High yield4.680All 55 since 20 May 20203 of 5552 of 553.420
Indirect bidders' share69.5Last 24 auctions14 of 2410 of 2470.9
Indirect bidders' share69.5All 55 since 20 May 202018 of 5537 of 5566.2
Direct bidders' share7.9Last 24 auctions24 of 240 of 2418.0
Direct bidders' share7.9All 55 since 20 May 202054 of 551 of 5517.6
Primary dealers' share22.6Last 24 auctions0 of 2424 of 249.6
Primary dealers' share22.6All 55 since 20 May 20209 of 5546 of 5514.5
High minus median, basis points8.0Last 24 auctions2 of 2422 of 246.2
High minus median, basis points8.0All 55 since 20 May 20207 of 5548 of 556.3

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 20 November 2024. Results file: https://www.treasurydirect.gov/instit/annceresult/press/preanre/2024/R_20241120_3.pdf. Compiled by 500metrics, "20-year bond auction of 20 November 2024 (new issue)", https://500metrics.com/treasury/auctions/20-year-bond/2024-11-20.

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