Treasury auctions · 20-Year Bond

20-year bond auction of 19 February 2025 (new issue)

The 20-year bond sold $17.613 billion at a high yield of 4.830% on , with a bid-to-cover ratio of 2.43.

High yield at each 20-year bond auction

The last 36 auctions, this one last

High yield at each 20-year bond auction, 23 Mar 2022 to 19 Feb 2025
High yield at each 20-year bond auction, 21 Mar 2023 to 19 Feb 2025

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, 23 Mar 2022 to 19 Feb 2025
Bid-to-cover ratio at each 20-year bond auction, 21 Mar 2023 to 19 Feb 2025

Who bought the 20-year bond of 19 Feb 2025

Shares of the competitive bids accepted

  • Indirect bidders 63.0%
  • Direct bidders 19.5%
  • Primary dealers 17.5%
This auction, 19 Feb 2025
  • Indirect bidders 69.5%
  • Direct bidders 20.1%
  • Primary dealers 10.4%
The 20-year bond auction before, 22 Jan 2025

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 bidders63.0%
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
4.8302.43
4.9002.75
4.6862.50
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

Observed .

Right now

The high yield was 4.830% on 19 February 2025, down from 4.900% at the auction before.

Higher than 56 of the 58 since 20 May 2020

Its own history

Against the previous 24 20-year bond auctions, the high yield was higher than 22 of the 24.

The bid-to-cover ratio was higher than 2 of them.

See every measure against earlier auctions

Who bought

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

  • Indirect bidders 63.0%
  • Direct bidders 19.5%
  • Primary dealers 17.5%

Size

Treasury sold $17.613 billion of the $16 billion offered.

Bids received came to $40.428 billion; the bid-to-cover ratio was 2.43.

Its bid-to-cover of 2.43 compares with the 24 auctions before it: lowest 2.34 on , highest 2.87 on ; 17.0% of the way from the low to the high.

2.43

Low 2.34 Midpoint 2.605 High 2.87

The security20-Year, new issue

Coupon
4.750%
Announced
Issued
Matures

It adds to the debt that matures in February 2045.

Understanding this result

Where it stands today

The high yield was 4.830% at this 20-year bond auction, the median yield 4.769% and a bid-to-cover ratio of 2.43.

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 19 February 2025: 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$40,427,540,100
Sold$17,612,690,100
Competitive bids accepted$15,892,978,000
Non-competitive bids accepted$107,066,800
Federal Reserve (SOMA) add-on$1,612,645,300
Foreign and international (FIMA) non-competitive$0
High yield, %4.830
Median rate, %4.769
Low rate, %4.700
Interest rate (coupon), %4.750
Bids at the high rate filled, %37.10
Bid-to-cover ratio2.43
Indirect bidders accepted$10,010,448,000
Direct bidders accepted$3,100,000,000
Primary dealers accepted$2,782,530,000
Indirect bidders' share, % (ours)63.0
Direct bidders' share, % (ours)19.5
Primary dealers' share, % (ours)17.5
High minus median, basis points (ours)6.1
Treasury par yield curve, 20-year point, same day, %4.79
High yield minus that point, basis points (ours)4.0
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 ratio2.432.5610 of 122 of 12
High yield4.8304.5921 of 1211 of 12
Indirect bidders' share63.070.110 of 122 of 12
Direct bidders' share19.517.43 of 129 of 12
Primary dealers' share17.510.24 of 128 of 12
High minus median, basis points6.16.05 of 127 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 ratio2.43Last 24 auctions22 of 242 of 242.57
Bid-to-cover ratio2.43All 58 since 20 May 202040 of 5816 of 582.53
High yield4.830Last 24 auctions2 of 2422 of 244.482
High yield4.830All 58 since 20 May 20202 of 5856 of 583.583
Indirect bidders' share63.0Last 24 auctions21 of 243 of 2469.5
Indirect bidders' share63.0All 58 since 20 May 202037 of 5821 of 5866.3
Direct bidders' share19.5Last 24 auctions9 of 2415 of 2418.6
Direct bidders' share19.5All 58 since 20 May 202017 of 5841 of 5817.7
Primary dealers' share17.5Last 24 auctions4 of 2420 of 2410.9
Primary dealers' share17.5All 58 since 20 May 202023 of 5835 of 5814.6
High minus median, basis points6.1Last 24 auctions14 of 2410 of 246.4
High minus median, basis points6.1All 58 since 20 May 202031 of 5826 of 586.4

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 19 February 2025. Results file: https://www.treasurydirect.gov/instit/annceresult/press/preanre/2025/R_20250219_2.pdf. Compiled by 500metrics, "20-year bond auction of 19 February 2025 (new issue)", https://500metrics.com/treasury/auctions/20-year-bond/2025-02-19.

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